Suetes

Suetes, suêtes, les suêtes, are strong south-east foehn winds on the west coast of Cape Breton Island. The term "suête" originates from the Acadian French inhabitants of the Cheticamp area as a contraction of "sud est" (south-east).

Suêtes are blowing at the base of the western peninsula of Cape Breton (yellow).

The western edge of the Cape Breton Highlands plateau slopes abruptly down to sea-level from approximately 400 metres (1,300 ft) 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. The weather station at Grand Etang has recorded wind speeds of over 200 kilometres per hour (120 mph) on several occasions.[1]