Cabot Strait
Encroaching Ice tongue (Mars 2009) - south of Cabot Strait:
Persistent westerly winds during the second and early part of the third week of March, as well as below normal temperatures, resulted in ice flushing out of the Gulf of St Lawrence through Cabot Strait and drifting southwards. Towards the end of the third week of March the winds shifted, becoming north north-easterly drifting the ice towards the Sable Island Offshore Energy production area. While this ice event did not surpassed the record for a maximum ice extent, it was unusual and resulted in the issuing of ice warnings for the Sable and Banquereau marine areas. Climate records indicate an ice extent this far south occurs less than fifteen percent of the time. In the last 16 years only in year 2003 have we seen more ice south-southeast of Cape Breton than this year.
Watch an animation of the ice tongue's growth:
