Hurricane Marie continued to intensify rapidly as it moved westward away from Mexico.  It now has maximum sustained winds to 160 m.p.h. which makes it a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Scale.  Marie is the first hurricane to reach Category 5 intensity over the Eastern North Pacific since Hurricane Celia in 2010.  Marie is a large hurricane and it is approximately half the size of Hurricane Sandy, but Marie is a symmetrical storm.  Hurricane force winds extend out 35-60 miles in all quadrants of Marie.  Marie is in a favorable environment with warm Sea Surface Temperatures and little vertical wind shear.  It could strengthen a little more or it may have attained its peak intensity.  Some satellite imagery suggests that a second eyewall may be forming and an eyewall replacement cycle would initially produce weakening followed possibly by fluctuations in intensity.

The Hurricane Intensity Index (HII) for Marie is 35.0.  The Hurricane Size Index (HSI) is 21.5.  The Hurricane Wind Intensity Size Index (HWISI) is 56.5.