[2] High pressure ridging strengthened by Tropical Storm Fay caused the trough to become more organized and close off into a broad non-tropical low on September 7.

[2] By September 8, the system had developed enough convection near its center of circulation to be classified as subtropical depression Eight while located southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

[2] By early September 12, the hurricane had begun to slowly weaken and lose tropical characteristics, as it moved over colder waters and encountered increasing wind shear.

[7] Although the center of Gustav passed just to the east of Cape Hatteras, areas of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia experienced heavy rain and tropical storm force winds.

These surges, combined with strong winds and high sea swells, resulted in minor flooding, mainly in Ocracoke and Hatteras Village, North Carolina.

[8] A weak waterspout also touched down on Silver Lake near Ocracoke and moved onshore, but only minor roof damage was reported.

[10] One person died at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina after suffering injuries in the high surf, and 40 other people had to be rescued from riptides and storm surges.

The strong winds downed trees and power lines throughout the eastern half of the state, damaging homes and blocking streets.

In West Windsor Township, a man was killed when the upper section of a concrete wall he was working on blew over and crushed him.

The other death occurred in West Amwell Township, where a tree limb fell on two elderly women, killing one and injuring the other.

[11] The interaction between Gustav and the non-tropical system caused strong winds that affected areas of coastal New England, mainly in eastern New York and Massachusetts.

[2] In the New York City area, a peak wind gust of 60 mph (97 km/h) was reported at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The winds caused some minor roof damage to buildings, and forced officials in New York City to cordon off parts of Manhattan as debris ranging from wrapping paper to crushed soda cans was blown about.