 The intensification continued through the afternoon, and that evening, Helene strengthened into a major hurricane with 115 mph (185 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 962 mbar.As shear remained low and the oceans remained warm, Helene intensified slightly more, peaking as a solid Category 3 hurricane with 120 mph (195 km/h) winds early on September 18.At that time, Helene and Gordon were at roughly the same longitude in the open ocean.