How do the Gulf Stream and Labrador Current affect the climate of Newfoundland and Labrador?

The climate of Newfoundland and Labrador is significantly influenced by the interaction between the cold Labrador Current and the warm Gulf Stream.1

• Labrador Current: This cold, low-salinity current flows southward along the coast. Prevailing northeasterly and easterly winds blowing across it keep coastal summers cool and delay the arrival of spring.21
• Gulf Stream: As a warm ocean current, the Gulf Stream meets the cold waters of the Labrador Current in the vicinity of the Grand Banks.3
• Combined Effect: The contact between the cold, humid air moving over the Labrador Current and the warm surface waters of the Gulf Stream leads to frequent, dense fog, particularly along the southern and southeastern coasts of Newfoundland. Additionally, midlatitude storms moving up the Atlantic seaboard interact with these air masses; warm air drawn from the south contributes to high precipitation in the southern part of the island, while northwesterly winds following these storms bring in cold Arctic air that further lowers temperatures.134