ZAGREB September 25, 2020 – The changeable weather in Croatia today is expected to continue for much of the weekend and is the strongest signifier yet that autumn has arrived

Residents of Zagreb today woke to the sounds of thunder and rainfall. It was not altogether much of a surprise. Partially cloudy skies and some rain had been predicted for the days leading up to the weekend. Enjoyably warm temperatures and clear, sunny skies on Thursday 24 September may have signalled a reprieve. However, the weather in Croatia today has taken a turn for the worse. So much so, that the Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service (DHMZ) have issued a weather warning.

The weather in Croatia today is being influenced by a cyclone that is making its way across northern Italy and is expected to rise north, further into continental Europe. Its consequences are a strong shift in air pressure.

© Robert Marinkovic

How does this affect the weather in Croatia today and what exactly are the weather warnings?

Rain is expected throughout Friday morning, with the likelihood of thunderstorms growing as the day continues. Temperatures in many parts of the country should still remain in the 20s.

The mountainous regions running inland down the length of the Croatian coast will see strong winds and heavy rain. Today is not a day for hiking in the high peaks of the Dinaric Alps. The specific warnings for the weather in Croatia today pertain to possible flooding. So great is the volume of expected rain that low-lying areas of inland Dalmatia and coastal Dalmatia could see some floods. Anyone currently sailing in Croatia would be best advised to stay ashore today. The seas will be choppy and the winds strong.

The changeable weather is sadly expected to continue for much of the weekend and is the strongest signifier yet that autumn has arrived in Croatia. On the highest peaks, some snow may even fall towards the tail end of the weekend. Although we can't promise that next week we will see the return of yesterday's glorious conditions, the weather is expected to stabilise on Monday after the passing of the cyclone and a more even air pressure returns. You can look to put on your hiking boots and unfurl your sails again soon enough.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

July 25, 2020 - A severe storm hit western Croatia and Zagreb last night at around 9 pm, causing big floods in the center of the capital.

Index.hr reports that several streets were flooded, including Ilica and Miramarska, Branimirova and Strojarska, but also Britanski trg and the Importanne Center. Numerous cars were trapped underwater or entirely submerged, basements and family houses, shops, cafes were also affected.

Firefighters and emergency services were on the scene all night. They performed more than a hundred interventions, and due to thousands of calls from citizens, all lines (193) were busy during the evening. Thousands of calls from citizens were received, hundreds of buildings were flooded.

Tram traffic was interrupted along Ilica, then from Radnicka towards Zitnjak and from Drziceva, Ulica grada Vukovara to Savska cesta.

Traffic is limited on some roads today, and the underpass in Miramarska is closed to traffic.

"Throughout the night, technical teams were engaged in draining rainwater and repairing the consequences of the thunderstorm.

All preconditions for safe traffic have been created on the public city transport network and there are no difficulties on ZET lines," it was reported.

Warnings for dangerous weather conditions are still in force, reports DHMZ. But lower levels than yesterday. An orange meteorological alarm is in force for the Zagreb area.

It will be partly cloudy today, with rain or showers, mostly in the first part of the day. Wind mostly moderate north and northwest. The highest daily air temperature is around 25°C, reports DHMZ.

It will be partly sunny tomorrow, though fog is possible in the morning. There will be light winds. The lowest temperature will be around 16, and highest daily from 28 to 30°C.

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

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.

August 12, 2019 - If you thought Sunday was hot on the Adriatic Coast, the worst is yet to come as the peak of summer brings brutal temperatures along for the ride. 

Although the end of the meteorological summer is still a month and a half away, it looks like the two hottest days of this summer are right ahead, reports Dalmacija Danas.

On Sunday, some parts of Dalmatia measured uncomfortably high temperatures. For example, the highest daily air temperature in Knin was 39.3°C, Ploče and Resnik 38°C, and Zemunik 37°C.

However, the new week begins with a warning from DHMZ, who issued a red alert for the entire Adriatic due to the heat. Namely, this is the highest warning level within the MeteoAlarm system.

If the next two days will break temperature records remains to be seen, but we do know that you’ll want to park yourselves under the air conditioning for as long as you can. 

Monday will be sweltering and muggy. The skies will be clear while the wind will be weak or completely absent. The minimum morning air temperatures will range from 18°C somewhere in Zagora (Inland Dalmatia) to 30°C somewhere along the coast. The highest daily temperatures will range from 33°C on the high seas to 40°C in Zagora. 

Tuesday will be mostly clear, though the afternoon in Inland Dalmatia will see moderate to increased cloud development in some areas, with a slight chance of rain showers. It will be quiet or with a light breeze. The morning will be hot with maximum daily temperatures from 33 to 40°C.

A weakened weather front will bring only slightly more variable weather on Wednesday. It will be partly sunny, with occasional cloudy skies. In the second part of the day, there will be light showers with thunder, mostly in southern Dalmatia. There will be a light to moderate bura in the morning and evening and in the daytime, light winds of different directions. It will be a little fresher with maximum daily temperatures between 29 and 35°C.

On Thursday it will be partly sunny, with the occasional moderate clouds and dryness. There will be a light bura wind in the morning, and during the day, a light breeze from the west. The evening and morning are much more comfortable than in the previous days, with maximum daily temperatures between 27 and 32°C.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be mostly sunny and dry. The wind will be weaker; in the evenings bura, in the daytime maestral. The nights will be comfortable, with maximum daily temperatures from 27 to 32°C, and a little higher on Sunday.

You can follow updates from DHMZ here.

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

August 3, 2019 - When the forecasts projected a change in weather this weekend, they weren’t kidding around. A look at how this summer storm swept through the Split area.

A rumbling thunderstorm with powerful and blustery winds ripped through the Split area around 10 pm on Friday. The air temperature dropped to just 19 degrees Celsius in a short time - for comparison, the highest daily temperature on Friday was 32 degrees Celsius, Slobodna Dalmacija reported.

“It came from the northwest and descended to Dalmatia. The announced front is crossing our area,” confirmed DHMZ in Split on Friday evening. 

The highest recorded wind gusts in the Split area were 104 km/h, according to DHMZ.

People were warned not to go outside, and those who found themselves outdoors were asked to seek shelter as soon as possible. 

However, on a Friday night in the peak season, we know that’s an impossible ask. 

A look at the scenes on the Split Riva on Friday.

"There was panic in the city. The outdoor terraces were cleared within minutes. Guests ran away without paying their bills," one reader told Slobodna Dalmacija.

The storm also turned one building in the Pujanke area of Split into the house of horrors!

At the nearby Star Village of Mosor, Crometeo measured hurricane-like gusts of wind up to 148 km/h!

The wind carried garbage containers into parked cars.

And made everyone in the warmth of their homes thankful they chose not to go out that night.

After the storm, the Center 112 received numerous calls from citizens reporting fallen trees on the roads, while some reported that they were trapped in an elevator because some parts of the city briefly ran out of power, reported Slobodna Dalmacija.

Some facilities were left without roofs, and most of the calls came from Split, Solin, and Kaštela.

Many calls for help from the sea were also received Friday night.

“We have a lot of calls, and just in the area of ​​Split we have reports of five accidents, and maybe 20 in the whole Adriatic,” said the Port Authority of Split on Friday. No injuries had been reported on Friday night, though more information will be known on Saturday morning. 

The KulaKula festival was also held in Trogir on Friday night in Kamerlengo castle. The storm hit as local favorite Vojko V was on stage. The storm cut out the sound, but Vojko boldly continued his concert in an unplugged version. 

However, the storm became worse and started to pick up chairs, umbrellas, equipment, and branches. The audience then began running away from the concert venue, and as one Dalmacija Danas reader said, there was a lot of panic on the way out.

Fortunately, the weather forecast for Saturday is looking much more favorable.

You can follow the weather report here.

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

A summer storm followed by a torrential downpour and strong southern winds caused problems along the coast of Croatia on Sunday.

In Istria and Kvarner, the red Meteo alarm was switched on, while the rest of the coast is on the somewhat weaker, orange Meteo alarm, reports Index.hr on July 28, 2019. 

"The weather is mostly cloudy and unstable with intermittent rain and thunderstorms. There can still be thunderstorms along the coast followed by intense winds, but also waterspouts, especially in Dalmatia. The wind is blowing weak to moderate to the southeast, on the most of the Adriatic to a moderate southwest, and in Dalmatia, there is a very strong southern wind. In the evening, the wind will weaken everywhere. The highest daily temperature is between 25 and 30°C,” read the DHMZ forecast for Sunday.

The summer storm particularly hit Šibenik-Knin County. The wind knocked down trees and thrust them onto the roads.

One sailboat was swept to the shore in Primošten, as was a small dinghy near Šibenik, and the wind carried it to the bridge, said the Center 112.

"The Harbor Commander has been informed about everything, and the main thing is that there are no victims, everyone is safe," said the watch operator.

In addition, Center 112 received numerous reports and requests to remove branches from the roads in Skradin, Pirovac, Kistanja, Srima and Šibenik.

In Kašić, a strong wind collapsed a tree through the wire of a pipeline and the villagers are having problems with electricity. 

A short water spout flooded Poljička cesta in Split. A hundred meters of the road near the intersection with Ulica Bruna Bušića was completely flooded. 

In the video, you can see how the road looked between the two Split hospitals. 

The Blatine neighborhood in Split also saw fallen trees.

Hvar couldn't escape the floods, either.

Heavy rain fell all morning in the area of Imotski, and some thirty liters of rain per square meter is said to have fallen in two hours, which caused flooding on the roads. 

To read more about news 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. 

Palagruža, the Republic of Croatia's most remote lighthouse, can feel like a world all on its own in all types of weather, a rocky paradise under the sun, surrounded by the sparkling Adriatic sea during the warm summer months, and quite the opposite when the seasons turn and the wind blows.

When then the fog and mist descend over Palagruža and the sky turns white, that feeling of total isolation is enough to invoke thoughts of Jack Nicholson's stunning performance all those years ago in Stanley Kubrick's take on Stephen King's book The Shining, a classic tale of an aspiring author slowly losing his mind to isolation.

Croatia's most forbidding area, a far-flung rocky island pushed far away from the mainland, Palagruža isn't really geared up for visits or tourism of any sort, which almost makes this idyllic yet somewhat haunting location more attractive to would-be visitors.

As Morski writes on the 9th of March, 2019, Tomislav Žuvela and his father, upon taking up care of the situation on Palagruža after Vojislav Šajn and Krešimir Tomašić went off on their well deserved break, captured the thick layer of fog which slowly surrounded the largest island of the distant Palagruža archipelago, Vela (or Velika) Palagruža, where a lighthouse was built. Tomislav briefly stated that fog sirens are no longer used there like they once were. Ship crews, in such cases, now rely solely on more reliable, more modern technology.

The fog which slowly engulfed Palagruža is as mysterious as it is beautiful, almost furthering the archipelago's distance from civilisation and creating a sense of isolation that many people simultaneously crave and fear...

Video by Morski HR

If you'd like to watch some drone footage of Palagruža when the skies are clear and the sun is shining, click here. If you've ever wondered what it's like to transport yourself from the heart of Sydney, Australia, and spend one month in this truly bizarre location, find out what it's like to date the lighthouse keeper!

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.

The weather in Croatia and along the Adriatic can be a little bit, well, all over the place. The calm, deep blue sea is a distant memory on some days as Mother Nature whips up the waves in a way many tourists who are dedicated to visiting only during the summer months have never seen or imagined possible in Croatia. 

We recently reported on the highest waves being recorded since 2004 near Palagruža, Croatia's most remote lighthouse island. We also touched on the story of two surfers who must have had someone watching over them as they somehow managed to survive the wild Adriatic near Umag in Istria, one of them, a Slovenian national, miraculously surviving 24 hours at sea and arriving to call for help at a cafe in Trieste, Italy.

It seems the records just keep being broken by the waves as yet more are recorded during this typically unstable period for the weather in Croatia, the highest wave having been recorded near Sveti Andrija near Dubrovnik.

As Morski writes on the 1st of November, 2018, the Croatian Hydrographic Institute has recorded yet more record waves at their stations in Rovinj, Split, Ploče, and Dubrovnik. The highest, as mentioned, was recorded near the islet of Sv. Andrija, with a peak height of 9.03 metres. While it might appear out of the ordinary at first, such a huge wave being measured near this islet is not that unusual of a phenomenon for the extreme south of Dalmatia. Back in 1988, a wave actually covered the height of the crane that was once place there, once again at an impressive height of eleven metres.

The nine-metre elevated concrete bridges typical of such lighthouse islets were met with waves of exactly that height on several occasions. In one case, according to the testimony of one lighthouse keeper, a boat was lifted up by the sea before being totally destroyed.

These waves are otherwise the highest waves of the last decade, with the Croatian Hydrographic Institute reporting that the maximum wave height measured in Rovinj was eight metres, Split measured a wave of over 3 metres in height, and the station in Dubrovnik (near the islet of Sveti Andrija), the maximum recorded wave height was 9.03 metres.

The aforementioned institute stated that all of this collected and processed data will contribute to increasing the overall degree of safety of navigation in these areas, as well as lead to the creation of updated safety recommendations. This information provides the preconditions for the safe transport of people and goods to the Croatian part of the Adriatic, the management of the sea and underwater resources, and to the defense and the preservation of the environment.

Want to keep up with news on the weather in Croatia? Make sure to follow our news 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.