Several hours later, Rick attained its peak intensity as the third-strongest Pacific hurricane on record with winds of 180 mph (290 km/h) and a barometric pressure of 906 mbar (hPa; 26.75 inHg).

After maintaining this intensity for several hours, Rick began to weaken in response to a combination of an eyewall replacement cycle and increasing wind shear.

On October 21, Rick quickly moved northeast, brushing the tip of Baja California Sur before making landfall near Mazatlán with winds of 60 mph (97 km/h; 52 kn).

Several hours after moving inland, the final advisory from the NHC was issued as the storm weakened to a tropical depression and dissipated.

[1] By the morning of October 15, the wave began to regain convection and eventually spawned a new area of low pressure roughly 475 mi (764 km; 413 nmi) south-southwest of Puerto Ángel, Mexico.

Environmental conditions consisting of low wind shear, high moisture content and above average sea surface temperatures in the path of the system were exceptionally favorable for rapid development.

[7] Early on October 16, a ragged eyewall began to develop and several hours later,[8] Rick intensified into a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 75 mph (120 km/h).

[20] Throughout the day, deep convection around the eye warmed slightly and a combination of dry air and wind shear restrained the extent of the storms' outflow to the west.

[22] Early on October 19, Rick degraded to a Category 3 hurricane as it began its approach to the southern end of the Baja California peninsula.

[23] Wind shear and dry air quickly entered the core of the system, with the eye disappearing from satellite imagery later that morning.

[1][28] Following landfall, the storm rapidly weakened to a tropical depression[29] and roughly seven hours after moving inland, the surface circulation of Rick dissipated over the high terrain of Mexico.

[31] Along coastal areas of Mexico, specifically around Acapulco, officials closed ports to small crafts due to rough seas.

[33] Upon Rick's intensification to a Category 4 hurricane, officials in Mexico raised the alert level in Guerrero, Jalisco and Michoacán to severe.

[36] Early on October 19, the Government of Mexico issued a hurricane watch for areas of Baja California Sur between Santa Fe and San Evaristo.

[1] Following the issuance of the watch, authorities in the region began planning to open shelters and begin evacuating residents from low-lying areas.

The Carnival Splendor made a sudden docking as the storm formed and delayed its arrival in Cabo San Lucas by several days.

Residents in low-lying areas were urged to evacuate due to both storm surge and fresh water flooding from the anticipated 3 to 6 in (76 to 152 mm) of rain.

[45] In Mazatlán, near where Rick made landfall, high winds downed trees and signs, leaving numerous residents without power.

[48] Although no longer a tropical cyclone, remnant moisture from Rick enhanced a strong cold front over the Great Plains of the United States.

[52] In Union Parish, rainfall exceeding 6 in (150 mm) led to flash flooding that inundated several homes and a local school, inflicting over $100,000 in damage.

[17] The storm also became the thirteenth cyclone of this intensity east of the International Date Line since official records in the Eastern Pacific began in 1949.

[18] Shortly after being upgraded to Category 5 status, Rick attained its peak intensity with winds of 180 mph (290 km/h; 156 kn) and a barometric pressure of 906 mbar (906.00 hPa; 26.75 inHg),[55] making it the second-strongest hurricane ever recorded in the East Pacific, surpassing Kenna.

Upon being declared a tropical depression on October 15, computer forecasting models already anticipated the likelihood of rapid intensification due to the unusually favorable environmental conditions ahead of the system.

[18] The Statistical Hurricane Intensity Prediction Scheme (SHIPS) rapid intensification index, a storm's probability of intensifying by 35 mph (56 km/h; 30 kn) or more within 24 hours, was set at 60%.