Upon reaching the Gulf of Mexico, Charlie had weakened to a 105 mph (165 km/h) hurricane. On August 21, it remained a Category 2 hurricane while crossing the Gulf of Mexico until 18 hours before landfall. On August 22, Charlie slowly intensified, and it strengthened to a second peak of 115 mph (180 km/h) off the mainland Mexican coast. Later, Charlie made landfall near Tampico with 115 mph (180 km/h) sustained winds. The strongest winds were believed to have been north of the eye, and were unrecorded. The storm quickly weakened over land, and it dissipated on August 23 in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.