Raging hurricane force winds pounded our region
-by Rosie Aucoin-Grace
Suêtes - hurricane force winds, are a common phenomena in the Acadian region of our county, but last Thursday evening, February 27th, was a wild night with recorded wind speed clocking at 229 km/hr. There were some speculations of winds of 242 km/hr and even higher, but I could not find any official readings. If you think about it, sustained winds at 229 km/hr would be considered a Category 4 hurricane. Let that sink in. We are lucky that this was a recorded gust as opposed to unrelenting wind.
Our climate has always been somewhat unpredictable with fluctuating weather patterns, especially along the northern tip of Cape Breton. Last week, as the winds howled with ferocious hurricane forces, a brutal Suête that buffeted our region, many residents in our county were quite concerned and understandably, some were terrified.
We often use the expression “isolated Northern Cape Breton,” with the Causeway closed to high-sided vehicles due to strong winds, flooding, cancelled flights, ice pellets, snow and so forth, for those who think of travelling to the Island, they were best to stay put. For some who did travel through this insane weather, it was a whopper of a drive.
Yes, very typical to this area are the damaging local winds known as Suête, a French deviation of the word sud-est (southeast). These strong southeasterlies occur in advance of a low-pressure system as the air is funnelled through gaps in the Cape Breton highlands. The western edge of the Cape Breton Highlands plateau slopes abruptly down to sea-level from approximately 400 metres altitude. South-easterly winds lifted on the East side of the island are flowing across the plateau and frequently accelerated to high velocities on the steep downslope in stable airmass condition. Sometimes referred to as the “Wild winds of Cape Breton”, these winds have mystified our people for years.
Many have come to respect and prepare for these winds and with good reason. Trouble comes to those who pay no attention to the Suêtes. Environment Canada indicates weather warnings and severe weather alerts so that we can be aware and ready. This time around, predictions were for gusts of 170 km/hr but Mother Nature had something else in store for us, as she sent much higher easterly winds.
Throughout the storm, social media was flooded with wind reports and comments. Some started to reminisce about past suêtes. The following morning, people shared some of their experiences and photos of damages. Many spoke of driving with their hazard lights and how strong the wind gusts were, fearing their vehicle would blow across the road or worse. Some spoke of being escorted home by a first responder, flashing lights and going 40 km/hr.
Tammy Aucoin of Petit-Étang will not soon forget this storm, “I drove home from working in Inverness and it was especially bad from Cap LeMoine to past Grand-Étang. The strength of the wind was unreal and I got gravelled a few times but made it home safe and sound, at least thinking the house was a safe haven.” She continued, “The thrill seeker in me was excited to experience over 240 km/hr winds but unfortunately, we also witnessed the damage these suêtes can do.” She explained, “Last night’s wind storm took a beating to our home. We purchased a brand new, beautiful mini home last summer and during the storm, a couple of the anchors let go and as a result, the building came down off its blocks. We were in the car when the house fell but we stayed in our home for the remainder of the night. It was a nightmare and so heartbreaking to see the damages. Of course, we are grateful that my husband, Christopher and I, and our fur babies were not injured.”
The Grand-Étang Post Office took quite a hit as parts of the roof flew off which would explain why we were not getting any wind reports after a while. The Grand-Étang Environment Canada anemometer was out of commission!
Other readings came from Grand-Étang harbour via The Cape Breton Mesonet, that is a network of private weather stations founded by Jonathan Buffett, who installed the first station roughly 15 years ago. In the last few years, the network has expanded rapidly and now boasts 57 stations throughout Cape Breton Island, which are collecting environmental data in real time.
Buildings that sustained wind damage were Laurie’s Motel Inn in Chéticamp, The House Next Door, the residence of Jimmy Timmons in Belle Marche, Le Manoir lost siding on the first apartment building facing the harbour, on both sides of the structure, a toppled RV in Belle Marche and more. As well, garbage boxes lifted and toppled over and fallen trees. Miraculously and thankfully, no reports of anyone being injured have come forward.
Most of the homes and structures in this area are built to withstand these winds but this storm was insane. Contractors from the exterior often find out the hard way, that they need to build extra sturdy if they want the buildings to survive our suêtes. Some described this wind as, “It was a hunker down night, which sounded like a freight train trying to come through the house. Blowing gales strong enough to pick up a vehicle and throwing stones like bullets, gravelling houses and vehicles!”
All in all, the Acadian region of our county is a beautiful place to live and Mother Nature never ceases to amaze us with the wonders of all four seasons. Winter, spring, summer, or fall, miraculously blend and provide a sense of belonging to this special paradise. Our suêtes are unique to this region and our people have learned to adjust to these unique storms as a way of life. It certainly makes great conversation pieces and stirs up excitement during those long winter spells. Social media is full of comments during these storms, almost like a support group as people get to vent, talk about their concerns and discuss the velocity of the wind.
I was brought up in a house which was known as one of the windiest spots in this area – the homestead of Pat (à Joe à Dosite) and Minnie Aucoin, overlooking le lac à Dosite. I was always so mesmerized by the phenomenon of suêtes. I believe it adds character to our region and although one has to respect Mother Nature’s warnings, take precautions, suêtes can be quite exciting to experience.
This phenomenon has captivated interest in many parts of the world. Songs, dance troops, poems, videos, stories, etc…have been created around this concept that we have adopted as something that is imbedded in our roots, something that has been a part of our history for many generations and will still be with us, for many generations to come. Some locals will tell you, “everyone should experience at least one of these wind storms!”
(I welcome any suête stories and photos that you may have to share with me. You may contact me via Facebook or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. My phone contact no: 902-224-2492.)
