Environmental Conditions 

 1985 Season 



Weather in Labrador and 

 East Newfoundland during the 

 1985 International Ice Patrol 

 season tended to be colder and 

 dryer than normal during the 

 winter and warmer and wetter 

 than normal during the summer 

 (Table 5). The weather stations 

 listed in Table 5 were selected to 

 give a cross-section of weather 

 conditions throughout the 

 province. The colder than normal 

 rrxjnths of December 1 984 

 through March 1985 caused an 

 early accumulation of sea ice 

 which expanded south of 43°N 

 and persisted longer than nomnal. 

 This sea ice forced oil drilling rigs 

 off the Grand Banks and 

 protected the icebergs moving 

 into the region. 



January: With the Iceland Low 

 southwest of its normal position 

 and deeperthan normal (Figure 

 1 ), the maritimes experienced a 

 strong northerly flow that brought 

 lower than nonnal temperatures. 



February: The Iceland Low was 

 deeperthan norma! (Figure 2), 

 causing northwest winds to bring 

 in cold continental air, resulting in 

 below normal temperatures and 

 precipitation in Newfoundland 

 and Labrador (Table 5). 



March: During March, the 

 Iceland Low was southwest of rts 

 normal position (Figure 3), 

 bringing more continental air than 

 normal into the maritimes and 

 lowering temperatures (Table 5). 



April : Surface pressure was 

 near normal during April (Figure 

 4). With a westerly flow returning 

 to Newfoundland, temperatures 

 and precipitation were normal 

 (Table 5). 



May: The Iceland Low was 

 farther west and deeper than 

 normal during May (Figure 5), 

 bringing more marine air into St. 

 John's and greater than normal 

 precipitation (Table 5). 



June: Flow, normally 

 southwesterly over 

 Newfoundland, was southerly in 

 June (Figure 6), bringing greater 

 than normal precipitation to 

 Gander (Table 5). 



July : Direction of surface winds 

 was normal in July, but the 

 stronger than normal pressure 

 gradient (Figure 7) caused 

 greater southerly flow, bringing 

 above normal precipitation. 



August: August temperatures 

 and precipitation were above 

 nomial(Table5). The shape of 

 the isobars in Figure 8 were near 

 normal, but the pressure gradient 

 between a deeper Iceland Low 

 and the Bermuda High caused 

 increased southwest flow 

 bringing in more warm, nrwist air 

 than normal (Table 5). 



September: With the Iceland 

 Low deeper than normal (Figure 

 9), a westerly flow dominated, 

 bringing warmer, drier air over the 

 maritimes resulting in above 

 normal temperatures (Table 5). 

 Ice Conditions, 1985 Season 



