 The first mention of Rick possibly becoming a Category 5 hurricane was in the seventh discussion released by the NHC on October 17 . In their advisory , it was noted that the storm had a 10 % chance of reaching this intensity within 36 hours . Several hours after this advisory was released , a special update advisory was issued . This new advisory placed the peak intensity of Rick just below Category 5 status , with maximum winds of 155 mph ( 249 km / h ; 135 kn ) . It was not until the late morning hours of October 17 that the NHC officially anticipated the storm to attain Category 5 status . Upon attaining winds of 180 mph ( 290 km / h ; 156 kn ) , Rick was forecast to peak with winds of 185 mph ( 298 km / h ; 161 kn ) , which would have tied the record intensity set by Hurricane Linda . 
