 The hurricane restrengthened slightly on September 21 , before making landfall near Boca Chica Key , Florida at 17 : 00 UTC , with sustained winds of 120 mph ( 195 km / h ) . Around that time , the storm 's eye was only 10 mi ( 16 km ) in diameter . However , it deepened further and became a Category 4 hurricane early on September 22 . At 05 : 00 UTC , the system attained its peak intensity with a maximum sustained wind speed of 130 mph ( 215 km / h ) and a minimum barometric pressure of 940 mbar ( 28 inHg ) . Simultaneously , it struck near Chokoloskee , Florida . Due to the storm 's barometric pressure at the time , it was the most intense tropical cyclone landfall in Florida since the 1935 Labor Day hurricane . Several locations reported an " eye " , leading some meteorologists at the time to suggest that the storm had multiple circulations , though others theorized that dry air pockets existed between the rainbands . The hurricane rapidly weakened while moving northeastward across the state and was only a Category 1 hurricane upon emerging into the Atlantic Ocean near Jensen Beach late on September 22 . Slight re @-@ intensification occurred the following day , with the storm becoming a moderate Category 2 hurricane by 12 : 00 UTC . Nonetheless , it began losing tropical characteristics and transitioning into an extratropical cyclone early on September 24 , while located about 330 miles ( 530 km ) northwest of Bermuda . The remnants accelerated to the east @-@ northeastward and continued to weaken , before dissipating hundreds of miles east of Newfoundland on September 26 . 
