Suetes, ''suêtes'', ''les suêtes'', are strong south-east

foehn wind A Foehn or Föhn (, , ), is a type of dry, relatively warm, downslope wind that occurs in the lee (downwind side) of a mountain range. It is a rain shadow wind that results from the subsequent adiabatic warming of air that has dropped most of ...

s on the west coast of

Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

. The term "suête" originates from the

Acadian French Acadian French (french: français acadien, acadjonne) is a variety of French spoken by Acadians, mostly in the region of Acadia (region), Acadia, Canada. Acadian French has 7 regional accents, including chiac and brayon. Phonology Since there w ...

inhabitants of the Chéticamp area as a contraction of "sud est" (south-east). The western edge of the

Cape Breton Highlands The Cape Breton Highlands (french: Plateau du Cap-Breton, gd, Àrd-thalamh Cheap Bhreatainn), commonly called the Highlands, refer to a highland or mountainous plateau across the northern part of Cape Breton Island in the Canadian province of N ...

plateau slopes abruptly down to sea level from approximately altitude. South-easterly winds lift on the east side of the island and flow across the plateau, frequently accelerating to high velocities on the steep downslope in stable airmass condition. The weather station at Grand Etang has recorded wind speeds of over on several occasions.

References

External links

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Suetes winds on youtube
Föhn effect Inverness County, Nova Scotia Mountain meteorology Winds {{Acadia-stub