Beginning late on October 18, as the system tracked north-northeastward toward Cuba, the hurricane underwent rapid deepening, evidenced by a ship wind report of . This wind report was initially thought to be the peak intensity of the cyclone; however, subsequent research confirmed further deepening, based on very low pressures recorded across the region. A ship in the radius of maximum winds reported a reading of 922 mbar; the barometer on the ship was found to be 5 mbar too high, resulting in a pressure of 917 mbar. Additionally, a station on land reported a pressure of . Based on the readings, the Hurricane Research Division estimated the hurricane attained a minimum central pressure of 910 mbar very near the western coast of Cuba; this suggested peak winds of . Late on October 19, the hurricane made landfall in extreme western Cuba in Pinar del Río Province. José Carlos Millás, director of the National Observatory at Havana, believed that "this hurricane [was] one of the most severe ever experienced in our latitudes."
