During the first half of each year the waters off Newfoundland may become choked with ice floes and icebergs. The severity of ice varies considerably, depending on the strength and direction of the wind and the coldness of the air. In a normal year, ice enters the Strait of Belle Isle by the beginning of January. The ice edge usually reaches Notre Dame Bay by the end of the month and Cape Freels by the middle of February. On the west side, Labrador ice moves into the Gulf of St. Lawrence through the Strait of Belle Isle, but the vast majority of the ice is formed within the Gulf itself and the estuary. The ice edge reaches its maximum southern extent in March, filling the innumerable bays and coves and effectively retarding the advent of spring.
In April the rate of melting overtakes the southward ice drift and the pack slowly retreats. Normally by mid-month navigation through the Strait of Belle Isle is possible.By mid-June the median ice edge retreats to the mid-Labrador coast. In extreme years ice may linger south of Belle Isle after Canada Day.
Each year an average of 250 icebergs drift along in the cold waters of the Labrador Current onto the Grand Banks. These majestic, wintry ghosts worry mariners more than pack ice, chasing drill platforms off site or barricading fishermen in the many bays and harbours. Icebergs have been counted and tracked since the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. Although 250 is an average number, the yearly extremes have ranged from none in 1966 to 2202 in 1984.
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