Chesterfield Inlet

Chesterfield Inlet is a narrow, fiordlike arm of the northwest coast of Hudson Bay that stretches 160 km inland to the Thelon River. It marks a physiographic divide along the bay, separating a narrow, rocky coastal plain backing onto a plain and hilly area to the north, from an enormous area of low relief, with poorly developed drainage farther south. Its climate is noteworthy for its windiness, since the inlet is aligned with the prevailing winds from the northwest, which are remarkably strong in winter (mean velocity 8.7 m/s, reaching 36 m/s) and constant, blowing on average 20% of the time. The area was first explored 1761-62 by Captain Christopher, an officer in the HBC. The inlet was named for the earl of Chesterfield.