Oppressive southeast wind ravages most of Corsica by start of October (7)
I believe the answer is:
sirocco
'oppressive southeast wind' is the definition.
'sirocco' can be an answer for 'wind' (I've seen this before). I am not sure about the 'oppressive southeast' bit.
I cannot understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for sirocco that I've seen before include "Hot wind that blows across the Mediterranean" , "Wind from the desert" , "Hot air" , "A hot wind blowing from North Africa across the Mediterranean" , "Dust storm" .)