month as they either disintegrated or were driven out of the narrow 

 width of the current to the east and destruction. However, on the 

 last day of the month, of the few bergs that remained east of 49° W., 

 two were in the Labrador CiuTent just north of 47° N. and moving 

 rapidly to the south with the current and 40 to 50 knot north-north- 

 west winds. From this source would probably come the climax of the 

 year as regards to any potential threat to the shipping lanes at the 

 Tail of the Banks. 



Of the 200 or so bergs that had been driven to sea early in the month, 

 some moved rapidly to the east between 48° N. and 49° N., some 

 escaped the east-flowing branch of the current and hovered between 

 48° N. and 49° N. from 51°30' W. to the coast during the month, and 

 the remainder disintegrated prior to moving south of 48° N. From 

 the start of the month until the end of the month there were 160 to 200 

 bergs poised between 48° N. and 49° N. As of 22 April, it is estimated 

 that only seven bergs had moved south of 48° N. during the month. 

 From the 22d to the 29th, it is estimated that 23 more bergs moved 

 south of 48° N. due mainly to the movement of the east branch of the 

 Labrador Current to the southeast at 50° X. Then as a result of a 

 deepening low just east of the area bringing north-north westerly 

 winds of 40 to 50 knots at the end of the 29th and most of the 30th, it is 

 estimated that 40 bergs were driven south of 48° N. in a single day on 

 the 30th, possibly a record. It is estimated that 70 bergs drifted south 

 of 48° N. during the month, or a little less than average for April over 

 the last 12 years. The southernmost berg in April was sighted on the 

 30th at 47°02' X., 47°09' W. The main crop of bergs for the 1962 

 season had made its main push to the east and south and was rapidly 

 disintes-rating with little supply of bergs to the northwest in evidence. 

 Indeed 1962 would go down as a light ice year. 



Pack ice conditions in the Grand Banks region were well below the 

 annual average for April. The pack ice which had inoved south along 

 the Avalon Peninsula rapidly deteriorated so that by 7 April, the 

 southern limits of the pack ice were 48°30' N. Simultaneously, a 

 new pattern of ice drift developed at the start of the month set in 

 motion by a shift in prevailing wind direction from the southwest. 

 The heavy pack ice contained along the north coast of Newfoundland 

 from Cape Freels to the west into Notre Dame Bay for the whole of 

 March was abruptly driven westward out to sea continuing its move- 

 ment along 49° N. to the eastern limits for the year of 49° W. on 

 11 April with close pack ice east to 51° W. This ice rapidly melted 

 so that by 25 April it had completely disintegrated in the Grand 

 Banks area. By this date the southern limits of pack ice had re- 

 tracted to about 50° N. Westerly and northerly winds in late April 

 over the Belle Isle, Labrador Coast region had driven close pack ice 

 south to the vicinity of 50° N. by the end of the month. It is doubt- 

 ful that this second push of pack ice would reach 48° N. due to warming 



13 



