The Mistral Season in Southern California

Late february is prime season for the mistral, an intense wind storm that tends to start suddenly out of clear, blue skies. The french attempted to land on la madelena, but immediately came under heavy fire. Napoleon stepped in and calmed things down before the situation escaladed. Sure enough, when the expedition tried to depart, it was forced to back by bad weather and rough seas. Things were not off to a great start.