Les Suètes are a unique weather phenomenon that occurs only on the northern coast of Cape Breton. This occurs when a low pressure system presses down on the winds that flow over the highland plateau coming from the east or southeast. The wind is trapped between the plateau and the low pressure causing a squeezing action producing the wind effect similar to someone blowing through a straw. As the wind flows off of the plateau it can gain speeds up to and over 200 km/h. This weather event can happen weekly in the fall, winter and spring months and less frequently during the summer.
