Blowing a gale: Two N.L. geographers on provincial wind records and what they tell us

Wind is a common occurrence in Newfoundland and Labrador, especially in coastal areas, but data from Environment and Climate Change Canada suggests the province has been getting windier.

Raw data from the federal government department for the past 30 years shows an upward trend in the past decade, especially for wind speeds of over 60 km/h.

Joel Finnis, a geography professor at Memorial University, says he's heard speculation about an increase in windy days since 2009, which prompted him to analyze provincial wind data. In the early years of the 21st century, he said, the number of windy days decreased — but things have picked up since then.

"Since the late 2000s, mid-to-late 2000s, we've seen a sudden increase in the number of windy days," he said. "It started off with a small uptick, but it's been getting more and more noticeable."

Finnis says when people talk about a windy day, one factor seems to be crucial.

"People will notice winds when they are inconvenienced by winds, when their plans have been changed by winds or when their property is damaged by winds," said Finnis.

Norm Catto, one of Finnis's colleagues in the geography department, researches the impact of wind on the provincial ecosystem.

If the trend continues, he says, people — rather than the ecosystem — will have to change.

"We will have to look at the types of species that we are choosing to plant. We'll have to look at where we're planting them with respect to planting them too close to a house or too close to a power line," said Catto.

Introduced species, such as maples, beeches or lindens, aren't as prepared for high winds as local trees.

"They have difficulty with the wind, especially winds that occur in autumn, where the trees are still in leaf, and then the leaves act like sails and the trees tip over. We saw that during Hurricane Igor some years ago," said Catto.

The impacts can also be seen along the coastline, where salt spray and storm surges can kill plants or lead to erosion, especially on walking trails.

"If we have more wind and more moisture being able to infiltrate into the ground in those areas, then we can start to get to see slow failures there. We can lose pieces of the trail, as happened in Torbay a few years ago," said Catto.

Finnis says the causes of higher winds are complex, and hesitates to name climate change as a factor.