 Pauline rapidly intensified after becoming a hurricane with favorable conditions for continued development , and 18 hours after becoming a hurricane it attained a peak intensity of 135 mph ( 215 km / h ) . The winds of the hurricane weakened slightly to 115 mph ( 185 km / h ) , but on October 8 Pauline re @-@ strengthened to reach winds of 135 mph ( 215 km / h ) a short distance off the coast of Mexico . The hurricane turned more to the west @-@ northwest while paralleling the southern coast of Oaxaca , and Pauline quickly weakened due to interaction with the mountainous terrain before landfall near Puerto Ángel as a 110 mph ( 175 km / h ) hurricane early on October 9 . The tropical cyclone continued to weaken as it paralleled the coast a short distance inland . On October 10 , Pauline dissipated over the state of Jalisco . 
