Hurricane Michael weakened as it came ashore west of Sagona Island, Newfoundland, but was still strong enough to rip siding off houses, knock out power and disrupt ferry service.
The storm had top sustained winds near 85 mph late Thursday, down from almost 100 mph earlier.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Michael lost its tropical characteristics before making landfall because it moved over very cold water and merged with a frontal area of low pressure that was approaching from the west.
"It doesn't mean the winds went away," said hurricane specialist James Franklin. "It didn't matter to people living there if it was an extra-tropical low or a hurricane, the wind still blows just as hard."
What was Hurricane Michael earlier Thursday now was a wintertime area of low pressure, he said.
Hurricane Michael
LAST UPDATE Oct. 19, 2000 — 8:30 p.m. ET
LOCATION Near latitude 48.5 north, longitude 56.5 west; about 90 miles north-northwest of Sagona Island, Newfoundland.
DIRECTION North northeast at near 46 mph
WINDS Maximum sustained winds are near 85 mph, with higher gusts.
Ferry service to the province was disrupted as the hurricane tracked up the North Atlantic and brushed the Maritimes before colliding with Newfoundland head on.
"It's pretty heavy right now, I'll tell you," said Guy Nash, a resident of the village of McCallum, where the hurricane came ashore. "We've had winds like this before, but it's not our normal routine. This is way above. It's not something usual."
In nearby Seal Cove, resident Alexander Forsey said the storm tore siding off a few homes in the village and knocked out power briefly.
Hurricane force winds extended outward up to 35 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extended outward up to 415 miles.
Michael was the 13th named storm of this year's Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Of the 13, eight have been hurricanes. The average year has 10 named storms and six hurricanes.
A storm becomes a hurricane when sustained winds reach 74 mph. Tropical storms have winds of at least 39 mph.
