Icebergs
What are your chances of seeing an iceberg?
Chance of icebergs
Counted, not guessed: the share of 122 recorded years (the month-by-month series in the source runs 1900–2021; the headline stats above use the full record to 2025) with at least one iceberg south of 48°N in that month. History, not a forecast — and the count is taken in the shipping lanes, not in the bay you'll stand beside. For this week's reality, check Iceberg Finder.
Your odds, month by month
The same question for every month of the year: in how many of the 122 counted years was there ice that month?
- Jan25%
- Feb50%
- Mar84%
- Apr90%
- May92%
- Jun86%
- Jul72%
- Aug48%
- Sep24%
- Oct16%
- Nov16%
- Dec17%
Share of counted years (1900–2021) with at least one iceberg south of 48°N in that month. A month can deliver ice to the lanes and none to a given bay — wind and current decide the last miles.
A century of iceberg years, counted
The US Coast Guard's International Ice Patrol has counted the icebergs drifting south of 48°N — the shipping lanes off Newfoundland — every ice year since 1900. This is that record, drawn from the data itself.
- Heaviest year
- 2,202
- icebergs in 1984
- Lightest years
- 0
- twice: 1966 and 2006
- Median year
- 317.5
- across 126 ice years
- Latest season
- 250
- 2025, “moderate” per IIP
The full table, year by year
| Ice year | Icebergs south of 48°N | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 88 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1901 | 81 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1902 | 48 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1903 | 802 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1904 | 266 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1905 | 822 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1906 | 428 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1907 | 635 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1908 | 207 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1909 | 1,041 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1910 | 51 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1911 | 374 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1912 | 1,038 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1913 | 543 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1914 | 721 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1915 | 487 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1916 | 55 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1917 | 38 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1918 | 181 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1919 | 317 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1920 | 430 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1921 | 762 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1922 | 492 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1923 | 284 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1924 | 11 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1925 | 109 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1926 | 341 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1927 | 393 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1928 | 507 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1929 | 1,329 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1930 | 504 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1931 | 14 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1932 | 514 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1933 | 216 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1934 | 576 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1935 | 872 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1936 | 25 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1937 | 470 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1938 | 664 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1939 | 850 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1940 | 1 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1941 | 3 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1942 | 30 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1943 | 840 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1944 | 700 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1945 | 1,083 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1946 | 430 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1947 | 63 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1948 | 523 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1949 | 47 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1950 | 457 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1951 | 8 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1952 | 15 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1953 | 56 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1954 | 312 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1955 | 61 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1956 | 80 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1957 | 931 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1958 | 1 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1959 | 689 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1960 | 258 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1961 | 114 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1962 | 121 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1963 | 25 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1964 | 369 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1965 | 76 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1966 | 0 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1967 | 441 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1968 | 230 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1969 | 53 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1970 | 85 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1971 | 73 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1972 | 1,588 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1973 | 846 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1974 | 1,387 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1975 | 100 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1976 | 151 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1977 | 22 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1978 | 75 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1979 | 152 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1980 | 24 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1981 | 63 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1982 | 188 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1983 | 1,352 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1984 | 2,202 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1985 | 1,063 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1986 | 204 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1987 | 318 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1988 | 187 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1989 | 301 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1990 | 793 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1991 | 1,974 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1992 | 876 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1993 | 1,753 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1994 | 1,765 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1995 | 1,432 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1996 | 611 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1997 | 1,011 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1998 | 1,380 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 1999 | 22 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2000 | 843 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2001 | 89 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2002 | 877 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2003 | 927 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2004 | 262 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2005 | 11 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2006 | 0 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2007 | 324 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2008 | 976 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2009 | 1,204 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2010 | 1 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2011 | 3 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2012 | 499 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2013 | 13 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2014 | 1,546 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2015 | 1,165 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2016 | 687 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2017 | 1,008 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2018 | 208 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2019 | 1,515 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2020 | 169 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2021 | 1 | NSIDC G10028 |
| 2022 | 58 | Bulletin No. 108, CG-188-77 |
| 2023 | 385 | Bulletin No. 109, CG-188-78 |
| 2024 | 22 | Bulletin No. 110, CG-188-79 |
| 2025 | 250 | Bulletin No. 111, CG-188-80 |
When they come, when they don’t
Across the 1900–2021 record — the years with month-by-month counts — 57.9% of all crossings happened in April and May, and 88.4% between March and June. A count at 48°N is not a berg in a bay: what reaches shore, and when, also depends on wind and current in the final weeks — which is why the viewing advice and the peak of the count are not the same weeks.
Routes to the icebergs
History says when; only live sightings say where. Check Iceberg Finder for what's actually out there this week, then take the drive that reaches it — every route below ends at a viewing spot the province names.
- YQX → Twillingate — 1h 48m, 113.8 km
- YQX → Fogo Island — 1h 21m, 86.3 km, then a ferry
- YQX → Change Islands — 1h 21m, 86.3 km, then a ferry
- YDF → La Scie — 3h 1m, 208.3 km
Caught one on camera with something for scale — a boat, a headland, a person? We want it, credited to you.
Where every number on this page comes from
- Ice years 1900–2021: NSIDC G10028: International Ice Patrol Annual Count of Icebergs South of 48 Degrees North, 1900 to Present, Version 1, DOI 10.7265/z6e8-3027 — the committed CSV is the file as fetched 2026-09-01, and cited here as NSIDC requires.
- Ice year 2022: 58 icebergs, a “Light” season — Bulletin No. 108, CG-188-77, checked 2026-09-01.
- Ice year 2023: 385 icebergs, a “moderate” season — Bulletin No. 109, CG-188-78, checked 2026-09-01.
- Ice year 2024: 22 icebergs, a “light” season — Bulletin No. 110, CG-188-79, checked 2026-09-01.
- Ice year 2025: 250 icebergs, a “moderate” season — Bulletin No. 111, CG-188-80, checked 2026-09-01.
- Severity buckets (light ≤ 230, moderate ≤ 1036, severe ≤ 1398, extreme above that): the IIP's own classification — Bulletin No. 111 (Report of the International Ice Patrol in the North Atlantic, 2025 Season), checked 2026-08-31.
- Every statistic above is derived from these sources by a script committed beside the data, and the build fails if the two ever disagree. Nothing is typed in by hand, and we publish no forecast: this page is history, counted.
- Canada keeps its own ice record: the Canadian Ice Service publishes daily iceberg analysis charts and seasonal outlooks — the live and official Canadian counterpart to the century of counts above. Linked, not mirrored: their charts change daily, and this page's whole promise is that it never pretends otherwise.
Two honest cautions before you plan around the chart. The count is taken in the shipping lanes, not at the shore — a berg counted at 48°N is not a promise of a berg off Twillingate, and in some years offshore wind and current decide everything. And history is all this page claims: no one publishes a real pre-season forecast, including us. What history gives you is the shape of the bet — how often the season is heavy, how often it is nearly empty, and when in the year the ice actually comes.
Once you know your odds, the question becomes where to stand. Start with where to see icebergs near Gander — the province’s named viewing spots, with the measured drive to each from the terminal door.
Before you go
These change. We link the people who keep them current rather than copying numbers that go stale here.
Where the bergs actually are, right nowCheck the day you travel
Iceberg Finder is the province-backed sightings map. History says nothing about this week; that page does.
Check it now →The IIP's daily pictureIn season, updated daily
The International Ice Patrol publishes a daily iceberg chart and bulletin for the shipping lanes — the same organisation whose century of counts this page is built on. No seasonal forecast exists; anyone offering one is guessing.
Check it now →When to come, per the provinceLate May and early June suggested
Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism's guidance is that April and May are the months when bergs are most plentiful, but they may be locked up in sea ice, so late May and early June are suggested for best viewing.
Check it now →
Subscribe for updates: tell me when the icebergs arrive
Iceberg season is short, it moves by weeks year to year, and for most of the year the honest answer to "are there any" is no. Ask once, and we write once when the season looks worth travelling for — with where the ice is being seen and which of these drives reaches it.
The email is pre-written with the consent line Canada's anti-spam law asks for; your reply is the record, and one reply unsubscribes. Nothing tracked, no account, no list sold. A proper one-click signup replaces this the day the mailing list exists.
Questions people actually ask
What are the odds of seeing an iceberg in Newfoundland?＋
There is no honest single number. The century-long count on this page is the closest thing to an answer: roughly two years in five are light seasons, and the swing between a heavy year and a light one is enormous — from thousands of icebergs to, twice in the record, none at all. Check the chart, then check current sightings before you travel.
Can anyone forecast the iceberg season in advance?＋
No official forecast exists. The International Ice Patrol publishes daily charts in season and a retrospective count afterwards, but no pre-season outlook. Academic forecasting has been attempted, with mixed published results, and produces no current public forecast. We publish counted history, never predictions.
Does a heavy iceberg year guarantee I will see one?＋
No. The count is taken at 48°N, in the shipping lanes — not in the bays people watch from. In some years bergs exist offshore but wind and current keep them from the coast. A heavy year improves your odds; nothing guarantees them, and every tour operator says the same.
Where should I go to actually see one?＋
The province names its more popular viewing spots, and our guide to icebergs near Gander covers the ones within reach of the airport — Twillingate, Fogo Island and Change Islands among them — with the measured drive to each.
Every figure on this page was checked against its source on September 1, 2026.