Beryl maintained peak winds for about 18 hours as it paralleled the Mid-Atlantic and New Jersey coasts, during which an eye-like feature developed in the center of the convection. Late on July 20, it began a slow weakening trend after passing over cooler waters. Steering winds ahead of an approaching mid-level trough caused Beryl to speed up northeastward, and early on July 21 the center of the storm crossed the island of Nantucket. The convection diminished as it moved through progressively colder waters, and shortly after 1200 UTC on July 21 Beryl became an extratropical cyclone a short distance east of Cape Cod. Hours later, it made landfall in southwestern Nova Scotia, and on July 22 the extratropical remnants of Beryl merged with an approaching cold front over Newfoundland.