Hurricane Ivan again reached Category 4 status as it entered the Caribbean Sea. Subsequently, it underwent another eyewall replacement cycle, and for about 18 hours the intensity stayed the same as it paralleled the northern coast of Venezuela offshore. Another period of rapid deepening began late on September 8 as its motion turned to the west-northwest. Hurricane Hunters recorded flight-level sustained winds of 180 mph (290 km/h) to the north and northeast of the eye, and a dropsonde about 630 feet (190 m) above the surface recorded winds of 200 mph (325 km/h) and an extrapolated pressure of 916 mbar (27.05 inHg). Based on the reports, it is estimated Ivan attained Category 5 status at 0600 UTC on September 9, while about 90 miles (145 km) north of Aruba. At the time, the cyclone was forecasted to strike southern Florida as a major hurricane.