Henriette continued to improve in structure and with the formation of a distinct eye feature, reached hurricane strength on September 4 as it turned north-northwestward toward the Baja California peninsula, ahead of a mid-latitude trough approaching the west coast of the United States. The hurricane reached its peak intensity of 85 mph (135  km/h) that morning while centered about 75 miles (120 km)south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas.