January 12, 2022 - In the past two days, stormy winds on the Croatian coast on Tuesday tore down trees and electrical cables, raised the roofs of houses and overturned vehicles, and some citizens were without electricity for several hours.

HRT News reports that yesterday the County Center 112 Rijeka received several reports of disasters caused by stormy winds in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, according to the website of the Directorate of Civil Protection.

In the area of ​​the municipality of Čavle, several telephone poles were broken and a tree fell on the road. In Crikvenica, in King Tomislav Street, the wind blew away part of the tin roof of the family house. A telephone pole in Selce was broken, a tree in the yard of a family house was knocked down in Dramalj, and a truck overturned on a local road in the Kraljevica area. An electric cable fell on the family house in Križišće.

In the area of ​​Rijeka, the tree fell on a personal vehicle in Braće Stipčić Street and in the Orehovica area, and in a warehouse in the port, the wind blew away part of the tin roof. Due to broken poles on the transmission network of Tribalj, Drivenik, and Grižane in Vinodol municipality 1000 users were without electricity from 12:22 pm to 14:26 pm, and in Bribir in Vinodol municipality 200 users from 13:15 pm to 15:14 pm.

In Split-Dalmatia County, the County Center 112 Split received about 20 reports during the day about fallen trees, broken branches, traffic signs, and various objects that fell on the road and obstructed traffic. According to the reports, the competent services were informed. There were no reports of major damage.

In Dubrovnik-Neretva County, the "Dr. Franjo Tuđman" bridge was closed to all traffic due to strong winds from January 10 at 4:50 pm to January 11 at 11:00 am. It was closed again at 3:50 pm, the Civil Protection Directorate reported.

For more about the weather in Croatia, be sure to check Total Croatia's guide.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

June 16, 2020 - Four months after terrifying bura wind blasted through Dalmatia at 270 km/h, TCN received a message from two travellers who experienced the bura in the worst way imaginable.

Alicia and Diana were on RSD Travel's one-week tour of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. They travelled from London to Dubrovnik on February 4, 2020. Unfortunately, due to the strong bura winds, the plane was unable to land at Dubrovnik Airport (it was due to arrive at 21:00), and the flight was diverted to Split. Since the accommodation for the first night of the tour was in Dubrovnik, not Split, they were taken by coach to Dubrovnik, arriving at about 3 am. On February 5, they explored Dubrovnik's old town, and then Ston, before travelling to the Romana Hotel in Makarska, where the tour group spent two nights.

When they arrived at the Romana Hotel, the tour bus stopped directly outside the hotel door because the wind was already getting very strong. As soon as they entered the hotel reception, they were informed that minibuses would transport everyone to the restaurant (even though it is only a short walk) because it was too dangerous to walk outside in the strong wind. There were also several signs up in the lifts and reception area informing everyone of these arrangements. Some commented that there must have been accidents in the past for the hotel to be taking these precautions. “It concerned us that the hotel was in the middle of a construction site and all of the building materials looked extremely unsafe and unsteady in the fierce wind, with pallets on the roof teetering on the edge, and cranes swaying in the wind,” said Alicia and Diana.

No-one in the tour group got much sleep that night because of the intense sound of the howling wind, and the feeling of the building swaying from the force of the bura. "Everyone was terrified that the windows were going to shatter on them during the night," said Alicia and Diana, who in the early hours of the morning, also felt an earthquake.

It was difficult to distinguish when the earthquake occurred because the bura was so ferocious and exerted an even stronger force continuously throughout the night. During the night, there was also a very loud bang; it was not until it was light in the morning that everyone realised one of the cranes had blown over.

In the morning (February 6, 2020), the hotel staff were still taking precautions and were busy making sure people didn't go and walk outside to go to the restaurant for breakfast. They created a walkway through the underground car park so that guests weren't needing to go outside. Hotel staff kept people at the door until the wind died down slightly before allowing people to go from the underground car park to the restaurant.

"We went down to reception with plenty of time before the scheduled departure time for the day’s sightseeing (in Split, Trogir, and Omis)", said the passenger, whose guide for their tour group, Hattice, said the bus was ready and ushered people out the door.

"As instructed, we went outside and walked towards the bus that was parked directly outside the door, but then realised it wasn't our group’s bus," said the passengers, whose bus was parked the furthest away from the door. It was past the hotel building, which meant that it wasn't shielded from the strong bura wind, and was on a rocky gravel surface, not on tarmac.

Since several tour groups (all on the RSD trip) had stayed at the same hotel, there were three buses lined up, and due to the poor coordination of timing, all of the groups were departing at a similar time, which meant not all of the buses could be directly there waiting outside the door.

Alicia was walking to the bus; the bura's strength increased in intensity and was still making a fierce howling sound. When Alicia had almost reached the door of the bus, there was suddenly a massive gust of wind. Despite trying to resist the pulling and pushing of the intense wind, and trying to keep her feet grounded, her entire body was lifted into the air. She was blown at a terrifying speed and then forcefully thrown down to the ground, more than 20 metres away from where she had been standing.

"I was thrown face-first, with my head hitting the ground and rebounding back, while the right-hand side of my body simultaneously bore the brunt of the impact," said Alicia. Her initial instinct was to try to get up, but when she turned over and tried to stand up, she was knocked down once again by another gust of wind, with her head hitting the ground for the second time.

Her whole body hurt; both of her hands were grazed and bleeding, her jeans had been ripped through at the knee, and her knee was also grazed and bleeding. She was unable to move her right hand and arm. One of the men in the tour group ran towards her and picked her up and took her back to the hotel reception, where the tour guide was still directing people to go out to the bus.

She went to wash the gravel and rocks out of her hands while the reception staff looked for a first aid kit. Unfortunately, they only had limited first aid supplies and were only able to provide her with some adhesive plasters to put on the bleeding wounds on her hands. Alicia informed the tour guide that her head had hit the ground, but the tour guide shrugged it off as though there was nothing wrong. The hotel staff then took her in their arms to the bus. When Alicia got on the bus with the tour guide, they then realised that Diana had also been injured by being blown over.

Diana wasn't aware of the incident in which Alicia had been blown over and severely harmed, as she had gone to the bathroom and went down to reception after that. The tour guide instructed her to walk the length of the three waiting buses, even though at that point, the risks were already known because Alicia had already sustained injuries.

Diana had got as far as the second bus when she was forcefully picked up by the wind and blown into the gravel. "The wind was so strong that I was hurled to the ground, face-first. With the palms of my hands facing upwards, resulting in my knuckles smashing against the rocks and stones on the surface of the ground," said Diana, her sunglasses and scarf having been dragged some distance away by the wind, despite the fact that her scarf had been wrapped securely around her neck.

She was unable to get back up on her feet, as when she tried, the wind was so strong it kept her pinned down to the spot, making it impossible to get up. Three of the hotel staff came and helped her stand up and took her onto the bus. She was in total shock and felt sick, and wounds on her hands and knees were bleeding.

One of the fellow travellers alerted Hattice (the tour guide) to the fact that Diana had also been injured. Hattice then said she would take those who were injured to a pharmacy when they arrived in Split. Upon arrival, Hattice accompanied Diana to the local pharmacy, but the pharmacist refused to look at or treat the injuries because the wounds were open and bleeding. The pharmacy also didn't have any bandages, so Diana purchased some adhesive plasters and antiseptic spray and was directed to the café next door to wash her wounds.

They were both left to suffer and deal with their injuries on their own. Throughout that day, Diana’s hand and knees continued to bleed. Alicia had pins and needles in her arm from her shoulder to fingers, and her wrist was at a distorted angle as though it was dislocated. The swelling in her hand intensified, and she was unable to move it in any direction and could not bend any of her fingers. She also had bruising to her right hip, thigh, knee, forehead, and face.

When they arrived back at the hotel that evening, the damage from the storm was visible. Most of the trees surrounding the hotel had been blown over or uprooted. The crane that had blown over during the night epitomised the magnitude of the danger and severity of the damage.

Although Diana’s hand was still bleeding several days later, and everyone thought Alicia’s hand/wrist was broken, they weren't offered any medical assistance whatsoever. The tour guide/tour company didn't offer them any chance to go to a medical centre, to see a doctor, or to go to a hospital.

After arriving back in the UK, Diana attended the Accident and Emergency department at the local hospital. X-rays revealed torn ligaments in her right knee, and an infection and foreign bodies in her left hand. Antibiotics were administered, and the following day she underwent surgery to remove the grit and clean out the wound, and five stitches were applied to close it up again. Three months after the accident, a secondary infection occurred in her hand. She still has limited movement and use of her hand and may need a second operation in the future.

Alicia went to the emergency department, and the doctor was horrified that up until that point, she had not been seen by any doctor. The question was: “These are serious injuries, why didn’t the tour company do anything?”

She required a CT scan of her head, numerous x-rays, and an MRI. Alicia was suffering from concussion and multiple fractures and damage to her tendons, ligaments, ribs and nerves in her hand/wrist/arm. Due to the COVID-19 situation, she is still awaiting treatment to repair the damage. She will probably never get the full strength, motion, or function of her hand back again. Alicia still hasn't been able to get her hand fixed as there are several fractures and damage to the nerve.

RSD Travel did not provide any assistance during the trip and have denied any wrongdoing. They also refused to provide any compensation.

They believe that RSD Travel failed in their duty of care:

It was negligent to have the bus parked so far away from the door of the hotel. The fact that the hotel had arranged minibuses to take people from the door to the restaurant proved that the risk was known and foreseeable, and this accident could have been prevented. By having the bus parked so far from the door, it created an avoidable risk. This meant they had to walk past the hotel building to an area that was not shielded by the wind. If people had been kept in the reception area, and if the buses had been brought to the door for each group to safely get on their respective buses, this incident wouldn't have occurred. The weather was not something that RSD Travel could control, but the tour company could have controlled the situation by ensuring that the buses were brought to the door of the hotel. Failure to do this created a foreseeable hazard that allowed the accident to occur.

Besides, it was unsafe to stay at a hotel that was still under construction and located in the middle of a building site.

Lastly, it was negligent and a failure of RSD Travel’s duty of care to not provide medical assistance on either the day of the incident or on any of the subsequent days when the severity of the injuries was increasingly evident. Not providing medical assistance could reasonably be foreseen to cause harm, given that fractures and infections are more prone to complications if not treated immediately. A pharmacy does not and cannot provide the medical assistance required to assess and treat such injuries fully.

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March 21, 2020 - Croatia welcomed the spring season with sunny skies and short sleeves, but will it last? A long-term weather forecast. 

RTL meteorologist Dunja Mazzocco Drvar, however, announces that this taste of summer will only last two days, reports T.portal.

March will continue with some changes and chills, which we will experience in the next few days. Temperature drops and sudden changes in weather are typical for this time of year, and especially in April. But what kind of spring awaits us?

According to current calculations, it can be said with more than 80 percent certainty that the next quarterly period, April to June, will bring warmer weather than average. With the same probability, it can be said that there will be less precipitation at that time than is usual for this time of year, says Ana Bago Tomac, a meteorologist at Dnevnik Nova TV and Zagreb Airport.

Of course, we can expect precipitation, especially in May, the most unstable month of the year. Still, on average, the coming period, until summer, will be dry and warmer than the long-term average, says Bago Tomac.

This is a trend that continues year after year. Last year was the hottest year, and the effects of global warming will certainly be felt this year.

We had no real winter this year, and temperatures will continue to rise more than average in the spring, AccuWeather predicts. However, this does not mean that strong storms cannot be expected between March and May, alternating with droughts. Admittedly, storms will move north of the continent and will be of concern mainly to Ireland and the UK.

While temperatures above average are forecast across Europe, the most frequent and longest periods of heat will be felt in the Iberian Peninsula and Germany and the southern United Kingdom.

More warmth also means an earlier start to the allergy season that will come with flowering plants and increasing pollen in the air, warned AccuWeather meteorologist Tyler Roys. At the same time, the benefits of warm and mostly dry weather could be of use to farmers as they will be able to plant faster than usual.

This spring heat could easily turn into unpleasant heat well before the calendar and meteorological start of summer. "I expect it to heat up in parts of Portugal and Spain as early as May in the middle of May," Roys predicts. "On land, temperatures could easily go above 30 degrees Celsius."

Moreover, forecast data show that temperatures could rise as high as 38 degrees in late May and early June, and up to 27 in London.

"High temperatures, above 30 degrees Celsius, can be expected in the second half of May from Paris to Berlin," announced AccuWeather meteorologist Alan Reppert.

At the same time, meteorologists warn, despite the warm weather, or because of that, humid air and spring storms can be expected across western and central Europe. The greatest danger is threatening residents from France, through Belgium and the Netherlands, to Germany and northwest Poland.

Devastating winds, hailstorms and torrential showers could cause concern for many residents of endangered areas, and tornadoes could be expected. All of this will cause traffic jams and power outages, AccuWeather warns. In particular, the area between Paris and Berlin will be endangered during April and May.

The positive side of occasional storms will be rainfall that will soak the soil and prevent the riverbeds from drying out. Thunderstorms, on the other hand, can damage crops, according to an AccuWeather report.

Meteo France also predicts temperatures higher than average for the time of year: temperatures in the British Isles should be 0.5 to one degree Celsius above average, while in most parts of northern and eastern Europe, temperatures are expected to be up to two degrees higher than usual.

Northern Europe will be slightly wetter than average, especially Norway and central parts of Scandinavia, while in western and southwestern Europe, the coming period should again be drier than average.

March to May will be marked by high pressure over much of northern and western Europe, again indicating a relatively dry and anticyclonic spring, while low pressure is expected at north latitudes, French meteorologists forecast, and with the arrival of summer in western Europe, the cooling that should come with the winds blowing from the Atlantic.

German DWD also predicts warmer weather than average, in southwestern Europe and by two degrees Celsius. Rainfall is predicted to be less in the west, southwest and southern parts of the continent, while the far northern Europe should be wetter than average.

And in Croatia, it will generally be drier and warmer, with expected showers, especially in May.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

February 6, 2020 - The bura came back with a vengeance this week, blasting its way through Dalmatia with up to 270 km/h winds in some parts.

After a relatively mild offseason with temperatures in the teens, the harshness of winter hit in the form of hurricane-like bura winds on Wednesday. The already dead Dalmatian towns turned even more ghost-like as the powerful winds swept through the towns. 

As expected, the traffic stopped, ferries came to a halt, and the damage was inevitable. 

In Makarska, for example, a crane toppled at the Romana Hotel, construction material flew, and trees were cut from their roots. A similar scene could be found on the city beach, where pines fell to the ground. The wind even caused two traffic accidents and blocked traffic in the city center, but luckily no one was hurt. 

Wednesday’s storm caused extensive damage to the Star Village Mosor observatory in Gornji Sitno. The large dome of the observatory was completely destroyed and the large telescope housed beneath it was damaged. Because of this, the observatory will not continue to receive visits on Fridays and Saturdays, the Mosor Star Village Facebook page announced.

Photojournalist Matko Begovic visited Biokovo on Wednesday, where he made it to Sv. Jure, just about a hundred meters from the top. 

A little lower, on the platform that will one day be the glass skywalk, the bura howled. 

The boats rocked in the nearby Baska Voda.

Not even buildings could withstand the bura's force. Namely, Dalmacija Danas reported that the Tugare Community House in Srednje Poljice saw a lot of destruction, as parts of its roof 3 meters wide flew through the sky.

And it wouldn't be bura if it didn't come with a bit of fun. Like this trash bin flying through the busy streets, on its way to find work in Ireland...

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

If you're in Dalmatia and have said this is the "coldest May of your life", you’re absolutely right - and thanks to official data measured at the DHMZ Split Marjan station, your claim can be confirmed. 

Namely, Dalmacija Danas reports that the first 13 days of May had an average air temperature of 14.6°C, while the average from 1948 to 2018 was 19.1°C. At the moment, we are experiencing temperatures in Dalmatia 4.5°C cooler than the monthly average, which is an extreme temperature deviation. 

Of course, a lot of this can change by the end of the month, and it is certain that the second part of the month will not be as cold as the first. However, there are also no significant positive deviations - on the contrary, temperatures will be around the average or even a little cooler.

Let's note that until now, the official coldest May was recorded in 1991 with an average temperature of 15.6°C.

The sea temperatures are exceptionally low for this part of the year, too, with temperatures ranging from 13°C to 17°C in the Dubrovnik area.

The cold weather continues throughout the country on Tuesday, especially on the continent where the average air temperature is in the single digits. Velika Duvjakuša on Dinara and Zavižan on Velebit are the coldest in the country, measuring 3 degrees Celsius. 

There was even snow in the higher areas of Dinara and Kamešnica early Tuesday morning. Below is the snowfall on Dinara before dawn.

The wind has been anything but friendly, too, Dalmacija Danas reports. On Monday, the northwestern part of the country was hit by powerful winds, and Zagreb specifically saw speeds up to 101 km/h which caused a lot of damage. 

Still, the strongest wind blew in the northern Adriatic, and the peak happened on Monday. The Pag bridge officially measured strokes of 54.6 km/h, which is 197 km/h! In Prizna, in the channel below Velebit, the wind reached 188 km/h. The entire Velebit, including the area of Maslenica, recorded mighty winds all Monday.

At Rijeka airport, the strongest wind reached 106 km/h. This time around the bura is weaker in Dalmatia, however not by much. In Makarska, winds reached 94 km/h and in Split 97 km/h. In Zrnovica, the bura destroyed trees and electric poles and local firefighters also intervened.

The winds are expected to end entirely on Wednesday.

Check out the hurricane bura below captured by the Crometeo team on Pag, Žigljen and Starigrad Paklenica. 

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

On Friday morning at around 4 am, the strongest bura wind in the history of meteorological measurements in Split was measured at Marjan. At that time, the brutal bura reached 176 km/h (48.9 m/s), which is the highest known wind speed ever measured in Split, reports Index.hr on February 23, 2019. 

The average winds at that time were 118 km/h (33 m/s). The bura wiped out numerous trees and branches on Marjan, as is evidenced by the scenes near the former zoo, which you can see at Dalmacija Danas. 

It is officially the strongest bura since November 14, 2004, when the strongest winds reached 174.6 km/h (48.5 m/s) during the cyclone Dorothy.

Three fires even broke out on Friday night. The first fire hit Split on Friday night, followed by one in Makarska. At about 5 am this morning, another fire occurred in Solin. The winds also ripped off the roof of a greenhouse in Solin over the night, which flew into busy traffic. Fortunately, the object was quickly removed and the traffic normalized.

The Split Police sent out an announcement this morning in response to the many calls they received over the night. 

"During the night in the area of Split-Dalmatia County, and especially in the City of Split, we recorded many reports about trees on the roads, vehicle damage, damage to windows on buildings, and the like, all because of the strong winds. The police officers, together with the firefighters, were on the ground all night and acted on alerts. At this moment, we have not received a notification or know that anyone has been hurt during the event. We assume that throughout the morning we will receive further reports of material damage to objects and vehicles during the night.”

The bura also wreaked havoc on the roads. 

Due to strong winds, the following roads are closed for all groups of vehicles:

Highway A1 between Posedarje and Sveti Rok, DC27 and DC50 via Karina, Obrovac and Gračac, the A6 Rijeka-Zagreb highway between Kikovica and Delnice, DC3 - old road through Gorski Kotar, state road DC54 Maslenica - Zaton Obrovački, Dr. Franjo Tudjman bridge near Dubrovnik, Mokošica-Komolac-Dubrovnik.

The following roads are open only for passenger vehicles: 

Highway A6 Rijeka-Zagreb between Čavle and Kikovica, Adriatic Highway (DC8) between Novi Vinodolski and Senj, Karlobag and Svete Marije Magdalene, Pag bridge (DC106).

On the fast road Solin-Klis (DC1), the A7 motorway Draga-Šmrika, the local road Križišće-Kraljevica (LC58107) traffic for buses, caravans and motorcycles (Group I) is prohibited. On the Adriatic highway (DC8) between Bakar and Novi Vinodolski and Senj and Karlobag, there is a ban on delivery vehicles and vehicles with covered cargo spaces (Group I and II).

Due to a fire on the Adriatic Highway (DC8) at Jasenovo, only one lane is open.

ZC6246 Drniš-Roški slap is closed for all traffic due to trees on the road. 

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The Croatian Meteorological Institute (DHMZ) has issued the highest warning level for Split and Dalmatia on Saturday as the bura comes back with a vengeance. 

A red alert has been marked for Split and the entire Dalmatia region. Split, and the surrounding areas will see gusts of wind reaching 110 kilometers per hour, with an average speed of 90 kilometers per hour on Saturday. A sudden change in the weather is expected from Friday afternoon, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on February 22, 2019. 

“Be careful. There is a risk for personal safety due to fallen trees, broken branches, and flying debris. Widespread structural damage, interruption of traffic and power failures are expected,” warns DHMZ.

DHMZ alerts that this severe weather for Dalmatia poses a danger for health hazards and life-threatening situations, especially for sailors.

“There is also a significant risk of damage to coastal infrastructure. Be aware of the dangers, and pay attention and follow the latest weather reports. We advise the public to avoid traveling and coastal areas. It is very likely that the ferries will not operate, so if you are traveling, follow traffic information,” emphasizes DHMZ

DHMZ also predicts that temperatures will drop below zero.

Be careful out there!

To read more about news in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

If you were anywhere along Croatia's Adriatic coast on Friday, chances are, you felt the wrath of the bura, our beloved northern wind. The windiest parts were the sub-mountainous channels, where during the early evening hours, the impact was about 180 km/h. In the Dalmatia region, the bura gusted in Zadar County’s Maslenica at a raging 166 km/h, Dalmacija Danas reported on January 25, 2019. 

The Crometeo storm chasers team decided to brave the bura and venture out to Gornje Sitno in the municipality of Split on Friday evening. With a measuring instrument on hand, the crew recorded a bura impact of 174 km/h at about 10 pm, marking values in the range of the strongest wind speed ever measured in the city of Split (whose measuring station is on Marjan), though this location is known for being more powerful than in the city itself.

You can see photos of the storm chasers' adventure here. 

A bit further up on the Adriatic coast in the town of Senj, the bura measured 189 km/h! The Crometeo storm chasers of Senj also decided to brave the wind, but this time, they chose to demonstrate just how brutal it is by attempting to do an ordinary activity - like drinking a glass of wine. 

It turned out to be quite an extreme sport that requires a lot of skill.

"Do not try this at home, these are professionals," the group could be heard saying in the video. 

In less than 24 hours, the video saw more than 1,000 likes and was viewed 665 times!

As expected, the bura forced a lot of road closures around the coast, and even the Dr. Franjo Tuđman bridge in Dubrovnik for specific vehicles. Fortunately, the bura has (mostly) passed, and we have a sunny and bright Saturday along our Croatian coast. 

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

Dalmatia woke up to negative temperatures on Friday. According to Pljusak.com, at 6 am in Knin this morning, temperatures measured -2.2 degrees Celsius, Drniš measured -2.7 degrees Celsius, and Šibenik measured -1.3, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on January 4, 2019. 

The coastal town of Primošten measured -1.6 degrees at 7 am this morning, while Sinj was -3.1, Klis was -2.3, and the Mosor Observatory measured -5.8 degrees Celsius. The coldest temperatures were measured at Sveti Jure on Biokovo, where it was a crippling -15.3 degrees Celsius at 6 am. 

The Dalmatian capital wasn't nearly as chilly, as temperatures measured 0.2 degrees Celsius according to DHMZ. Zrnovnica and Solin measured 0.4, Ploče 0.5 degrees, Makarska 0.7, Lastovo 0.9, and Omiš, Hvar and Dubrovnik measured the warmest, at 1.3 degrees.

The bura came back with a vengeance this week and will continue to wreak havoc on the northern Adriatic. Fortunately, we’ll have fewer problems than Thursday. The afternoon will boast sunshine though there is there a slight possibility of mild precipitation later today. The mountains will be quite cold in the evening with occasional snow and strong winds, so it is best to postpone any trip to the late afternoon. 

Snow will fall in the interior of Dalmatia, especially in the evening and morning, though the day will pass mostly without precipitation and with partially sunny skies. The middle of the Adriatic is still sunny, though still relatively cold, with strong and stormy bura winds. Once again, the winds are weaker than Thursday. The sea will be quite wavy and choppy.

The south will be equally windy and cold, though mostly sunny. The islands and Konavle should see some rainfall. 

Saturday morning will be even colder on land, with the daily temperature not reaching above 0°C. The north and northwest winds will weaken on Saturday. There will be some snow over the weekend and some sleet. Traffic cautions will be necessary at the beginning of next week.

On Saturday the Adriatic will continue to feature winter conditions, with some temperatures in the minus, with the potential of some snow. On Sunday, however, temperatures will be a little higher, though they come with stronger bura winds which will gust into Monday. 

The Croatian Autoclub has warned drivers of trucks and semis that there is currently no open road for them between the interior and Dalmatia. Rijeka and Istria are open for all vehicles only on the A6 Rijeka-Zagreb motorway.

Because of the winds, HAK announced that the section of the A1 motorway between Sveti Rok and Maslenica, as well as the state road Maslenica-Zaton Obrovački, is open only for passenger cars, while traffic could be prohibited for  buses, vehicles with caravans and motorcycles (I group of vehicles) on the Franjo Tudjman bridge in Dubrovnik and the Adriatic highway between Senj and Karlobag. Between Karlobag and Sv. Marija Magdalena is an additional ban on cargo vehicles and vehicles with an overhead freight area (I and II group vehicles).

The ferry line Dubrovnik-Lopud-Suđurađ, catamaran lines Vis-Split, Ubli-Vela Luka-Hvar-Split and Pula-Mali Lošinj-Zadar, and Zadar-Preko have interupptions. 

To read more about news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

The weather in Dalmatia has been wreaking havoc, and while things have calmed down significantly now, for many boats and indeed permanent structures, the damage has already been done. The Zadar waterfront (riva) is just one casualty which needs quick action.

As eZadar writes on the 31st of October, 2018, a model for the repair and reconstruction of parts of the now damaged Zadar waterfront is being searched for by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure.

In order to determine the real extent of the damage caused by Dalmatia's recent bout of extremely wild weather and to go forward with a proper plan for the repair of the Zadar waterfront, Josip Bilaver, assistant to Oleg Butković, the Minister of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, arrived in the popular Dalmatian city of Zadar and together with the heads of departments of the City of Zadar, he visited the damaged waterfront and the jetty area which suffered the greatest extent of Mother Nature's damage.

After an expert analysis of the damage to the structure, a concrete plan for its repair and reconstruction involving the City of Zadar, the wider Zadar County, and the aforementioned Ministry will be drawn up and implemented as soon as possible.

As the Zadar waterfront now unfortunately requires complete reconstruction, which is an extremely demanding task and a great financial burden that the city really didn't need, Assistant Minister Bilaver has put forward the idea of financing the complete reconstruction through a joint project of the City, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, and the Ministry of Regional Development and European Union funds, by applying for help from the cohesion funds. In this way, it would be possible to find the means for the complete repair and reconstruction of the Zadar waterfront, which would be carried out in several phases so as to limit any potential issues.

Want to keep up with news from across the country, be it about business, current events, sport or yet more wild weather? Make sure to stay up to date with our news page.