On 8 October, the storm began to intensify once more.[28] Convection had deepened and an inner core was trying to form in the tropical storm. Additionally, the cloud pattern of Leslie had become more symmetric.[29] Over the next day, intensification continued, with Leslie re-achieving hurricane status for a second time at 03:00 UTC on 10 October.[30] At 09:00 UTC, Leslie turned southward, under the influence of a broad mid- to upper-level trough.[31] Over the next eighteen hours, Leslie turned from the south to the east-northeast, due to a mid-latitude trough.[32] It later reached its peak intensity with sustained winds of 150 km/h (93 mph) and a minimum central pressure of 969 hPa (28.6 inHg), on 12 October at 03:00 UTC.[33] The hurricane maintained its peak intensity for six hours before beginning to weaken once more.[34]