Polar Vortex Creates "Sea Smoke" in St. Andrews by-the-Sea While Charlotte County Residents Try to Stay Warm

After a mild January, February came in with a bang this past weekend with a polar vortex descending on the Maritimes. The arctic air mass that passed over our region was accompanied by powerful winds that resulted in wind chill levels cold enough to cause frostbite to exposed skin within minutes.

This is the featured story at CHCO's Newbreak 26.

According to Environment Canada, wind chill ranges in New Brunswick were between -40°C and -50°C. Photographer and videographer Jeff Lively of St. Andrews braved the cold to capture the phenomenon commonly known as "sea smoke" on the Bay of Fundy. Sea smoke is a fog that forms when very cold air moves over warmer water, meaning that the ocean temperature this past weekend was significantly warmer than the air.

Parts of the province broke daily low temperature records, including Miscou Island, Moncton, Saint John, Fundy National Park, and right here in Charlotte County in Grand Manan and St. Stephen. On Friday, St. Stephen recorded a new daily low temperature for February 3rd with a low of -27.5°C, breaking the previous record for that day of -27.2°C set in 1961.

St. Stephen saw its new warming centre put to good use. Introduced in late 2022 to accommodate the growing homeless population, the warming centre was a life-line for many unsheltered people over the weekend who went there to escape the life-threatening temperatures outdoors. A recent survey found that 50 per cent of the homeless population in St. Stephen is experiencing homelessness for the first time and have only been without shelter within the last six months. While the warming station reached capacity this weekend, there were fortunately enough beds for everyone who needed one.

 
By Sunday, a shift in wind direction brought with it a dramatic change in temperature with Charlotte County ending the weekend with above freezing temperatures. And by Monday, even the local deer population seemed to be enjoying the return to a more temperate climate with five deer taking a leisurely stroll down the St. Andrews wharf. Not a sight you see every day, even in St. Andrews.