The hurricane began to slowly weaken and lose tropical characteristics on early September 12 as it moved over colder waters and encountered increasing wind shear. However, the storm was moving quickly enough to make landfall over Cape Breton, Nova Scotia as a Category 1 hurricane on September 12. Later that morning, Gustav made a second landfall in Newfoundland and became extratropical shortly after. The extratropical low continued moving slowly to the northeast before dissipating over the Labrador Sea on September 15.