By the next day , Hurricane Anita had reached its highest winds as a category 5 hurricane , while not far from the coast of Mexico .
The hurricane developed a well-defined eye , and Hurricane Anita began to rapidly intensify late on September 1 after attaining major hurricane status . During a two-day period up to its peak intensity , Anita deepened at a rate of 2 mbar per hour , and on September 2 the hurricane reached peak winds of 175 mph ( 280 km\/h ) while located just offshore northeastern Mexico , making Anita a Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale .