A strong, cold, northwesterly wind that funnels down the Rhone Valley in southern France toward the Mediterranean coast, generated by the pressure difference between a high-pressure system over the Bay of Biscay and low pressure over the Gulf of Genoa, accelerated further as it is channeled between the Alps and the Massif Central. The mistral can blow for days at a stretch with gusts exceeding 100 kilometers per hour, and its clearing, dust-scouring effect on the sky was celebrated by Provencal painters for the crisp light it leaves behind.
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