It became a Category 5 ( the first in the Gulf of Mexico since Hurricane Allen 25 years prior ) storm by 7:00 a.m. CDT , twelve hours after the beginning of the second round of rapid intensification , and reached its peak intensity at 1:00 p.m. CDT with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph ( 280 km\/h ) , gusts of 215 mph ( 344 km\/h ) and a central pressure of 902 mbar ( 26.64 inHg ) .
It became a Category 5 storm by 7:00 a.m. CDT , twelve hours after the beginning of the second round of rapid intensification , and reached its peak intensity at 1:00 p.m. CDT with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph ( 280 km\/h ) , gusts of 215 mph ( 344 km\/h ) and a central pressure of 902 mbar ( 26.64 inHg ) .