Due to the strong Southeastern wind, called Jugo, which has caused waves up to 2.5 meters high, numerous catamaran and ferry lines are not operating today. 

Jugo, the Southeastern wind, is a force of nature to be reckoned with in parts of Croatia that are close to the sea. It usually brings warm, humid air (unlike the wind it's often compared to, the well-known Föhn wind in the Alps, which is usually dry), and causes high and mighty waves in the Southern parts of Croatia. Well, today, on November 3rd, 2019, it has caused problems in the traffic almost everywhere. 

Croatian Automotive Club (HAK) reported today that the ferry, boat and catamaran lines that are not operating are: Lopar-Valbiska ferry to Rab island, Prapratno-Sobra ferry to Mljet, 9604 catamaran line Ubli-Vela Luka-Hvar-Split, 9603 catamaran line Jelsa-Bol-Split, 9602 catamaran line Vis-Split, Komiža-Biševo catamaran line, Korčula-Hvar-Split catamaran line, Mali Lošinj-Cres-Rijeka catamaran line, Novalja-Rab-Rijeka catamaran line, 9807 catamaran line Dubrovnik-Šipan-Mljet, Korčula-Hvar-Split boat, 409 boat line Zadar-Preko, 310 boat line Mali Lošinj-Unije-Susak.

In addition to that, the A6 highway, connecting Rijeka and Zagreb, is also closed between Kikovica and Delnice, which is quite unusual as that section of the highway is most often closed because of the Nothern wind, the cool Bura. Jugo usually doesn't quiet down for three or four days, but the traffic situation will hopefully become more manageable soon. 

Jugo has a major significance in the lives of people, in addition to often cutting their ties to the mainland. When it brings warm, humid air, it causes mood changes, generally, makes everything just a bit more complicated. The condition that you can often hear about in the Dalmatia is "južina," the state of the atmosphere (and mind), which occurs during the Jugo winds. During the Dubrovnik Republic, Jugo was considered to be an extenuating circumstance for murder, and no significant decisions were made in the Senate during the južina.

Today, however, some people don't seem to mind the strong winds, as witnessed by our own Paul Bradbury: 

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.

The weather in Croatia is typically viewed as sunny, dry and calm, and even impossibly hot by most who visit in the summer months.

But just what happens when bura, jugo, and all other types of Adriatic winds decide to strike the coast? Conditions get suddenly worse, and a once calm, deep blue Adriatic sea becomes like something from the mid-Atlantic Ocean, sometimes even causing damage to the shoreline and to buildings. The sometimes dramatic turn of the weather in Croatia can therefore be a rather strange thing to witness for those who simply assume that because of the country's geographical position, that the warm summer climate is a constant one.

There are many types of winds in Croatia, all have their own sources, come from different directions, and typically occur at different times of year, and of course, we have articles dedicated to three of the main ones, click here, here, and here if you'd like to read more about them.

Palagruža is a location most people visiting the country have never heard of, it is Croatia's most remote lighthouse island, and when the wind blows and the sea becomes stormy, viewing Mother Nature's power from here is quite the experience indeed.

As Morski writes on the 30th of October, 2018, according to data taken from the State Meteorological Institute, at 20:00 last night, conditions on the sea worsened drastically and massive waves with a height of seven metres were recorded, meaning that the waves last night were the highest since back in 2004 according to that measuring station's records.

Palagruža's lighthouse keeper Vojislav Šain told Dalmacija Danas that Palagruža is completely cut off from the world, but that he doesn't particularly care about that because he has naturally become accustomed to living in such isolation on this extremely remote Croatian island.

He continued by saying that the waves were very high, but that it didn't actually rain much, and that storms from the Italian coast were moving ever closer.

Want to find out more about potentially dangerous conditions on the Adriatic and just what to watch out for when sailing in Croatia? Click here and follow Total Croatia Sailing.

Click here for the original article by Dalmacija Danas

Wind speed reached 122 kmh in some parts of Dalmatia on Friday

Sailing in Croatia? Best you know your winds, Levant, the Easterly wind that can stir the Adriatic.