Upon becoming a hurricane, infrared imagery suggested that the hurricane had developed a pinhole eye. Forecasters were also expecting Juliette to reach major hurricane status, Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Steadily moving west, the storm underwent rapid deepening. By 1800 UTC September 23, Juliette had reached Category 2 status, with winds of 100 mph (145 km/h). Shortly thereafter, the hurricane intensified directly into a Category 4 storm, bypassing the Category 3 stage, an unusual occurrence for a tropical cyclone. In all, Juliette had intensified 60 mph (130 km/h) in 18 hours.