 HURDAT initially indicates a tropical storm about 920 miles ( 1 @,@ 480 km ) west @-@ southwest of Brava , Cape Verde on September 3 . The storm moved west @-@ northwestward and slowly intensified , <unk> hurricane status late on September 5 . It continued to slowly strengthen , becoming a Category 2 hurricane on September 6 . About 24 hours later , the cyclone deepened into a Category 3 hurricane while located near the Lesser Antilles . On Saint Kitts , sustained winds reached 62 mph ( 100 km / h ) , while up to 3 @.@ 13 inches ( 80 mm ) of rainfall was reported . Many houses were destroyed on Anguilla and Barbuda . In the former , an estimated 200 homes were demolished , leaving 800 people homeless . Early on September 9 , the storm reached maximum sustained winds of 120 mph ( 195 km / h ) . The storm maintained intensity as a Category 3 hurricane and re @-@ curved northward by September 11 . 
