Mistral is an atmospheric phenomenon that occurs mostly in the winter and spring in the Gulf of Lion. It creates a cold, strong northwesterly wind along the coast, particularly from Marseille to Toulon, in southern France. Layers of Atmosphere (NOAA) Earths atmosphere is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth and retained by the Earths gravity. ... The Golfe du Lion (Gulf of Lion) is a wide embayment of the Mediterranean coastline of Languedoc-Roussillon, reaching from the border with Catalonia in the west to Toulon. ... Wind is the roughly horizontal movement of air (as opposed to an air current) caused by uneven heating of the Earths surface. ... City motto: Actibus immensis urbs fulget Massiliensis. ... Location within France Coat of Arms of Toulon Toulon (Tolon in Provençal) is a city in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. ...

It is an example of a katabatic wind, which is caused by air that is cooled over the mountains by the presence of a high pressure system or radiative cooling. In the case of the Mistral, air is cooled above the Massif Central, the central plateau of France, and the Pyrenees. It then flows down into the Garonne valley, because its density is higher than that of the surrounding air. The presence of Garonne and Rhône valley creates a funnel effect, speeding up the current towards the Gulf. A katabatic wind, from the Greek word katabatikos meaning going downhill, is a wind that blows down a topographic incline such as a hill, mountain, or glacier. ... A high, or a high pressure area, is a region where the atmospheric pressure is greatest with relation to the surrounding area. ... Radiative cooling is the condition in which a body loses more energy by radiation than it gains from its surroundings. ... France, viewed from the NASA Shuttle Topography Radar Mission. ... Central Pyrenees The Pyrenees (French: Pyrénées; Spanish: Pirineos; Occitan: Pirenèus or Pirenèas; Catalan Pirineus; Aragonese: Perinés; Basque: Pirinioak) are a range of mountains in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain. ... The Garonne (Occitan: Garona) is a river in southwest France, with a length of 575 km (357 miles). ... Density (symbol: ρ - Greek: rho) is a measure of mass per unit of volume. ... Starry Night Over the Rhone, by Vincent van Gogh (1888) The River Rhône (French Rhône, Occitan Ròse, Franco-Provençal Roun, standard German Rhone, Valais German Rotten) is one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France. ...

In Marseille, on about half of the days in the year the weather is characterized by the cold winds of the Mistral. These winds may affect the weather in North Africa, Sicily and Malta or throughout the Mediterranean, particularly when low pressure systems form in the Gulf of Genoa. City motto: Actibus immensis urbs fulget Massiliensis. ... North Africa is a region generally considered to include: Algeria Egypt Libya Mauritania Morocco Sudan Tunisia Western Sahara The Azores, Canary Islands, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Madeira are sometimes considered to be a part of North Africa. ... Sicilian disambiguates here; see also Sicilian language or Sicilian Defence. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... A low, or a low pressure area, is a region of rising atmospheric air. ... The Gulf of Genoa (Golfo di Genova) is the northernmost part of the Ligurian Sea. ...