Climate and weather conditions
The climate at the Adriatic is typically a Mediterranean one, with mild rainy
winters, and hot and dry summers. The air temperature changes depending on
the area. Thus, summer temperatures in July will be about 34°C in the northern
part, while in the southern part they will rise even to 38°C. In the winter,
the coldest temperatures are noticed in the northern Adriatic (up to -16°C),
while they will not have exceeded 6°C in the southern part.
Weather conditions
in the Adriatic are affected by the general weather situation in the Mediterranean
and local climate conditions. Generally speaking, light to moderate winds with
few storms prevail until June. In July and August, a period of calm sets in
and storms are more frequent. From September on winds are again stronger.
Bura
The bura (bora)
and the jugo-siroco (jugo-scirocco) are the main winds on the Adriatic . They
prevail in the winter period from September to May. The prevailing wind in
the summer is the maestral.
The bora is a cold and dry north-easterly wind. It blows from the continent,
i.e. from the eastern side of the Adriatic towards the open sea and brings
bright weather. It starts abruptly and blows in squalls toward the sea. It
is strongest in the Velebit Channel and the Gulf of Trieste . Picture shows
typical "bura" corridors: (1) Golf of Trieste, (2) Kvarner, (3)
Velebit Channel, (4) Sibenik, (5) Split - Makarska, (6) Peljesac and (7) Dubrovnik
. In the summer the bora blows as a local wind and then lasts only a few days.
In the winter it may continue for six to fourteen days.
Jugo
The jugo is a warm, humid east-southeast wind. It is accompanied
by heavy clouds and rain. It is not a sudden wind like the bora but takes 36-38
hours to develop. It blows throughout the Adriatic . In the summer it may appear
as a local wind and is more frequent in the southern part of the Adriatic .
Between March and June it blows in the north as well.
Maestral
The maestral is a local westerly wind which blows from the
sea, mostly in the summer. It usually starts between 10 and 11 in the morning
and reaches its greatest strength between 2 and 3 in the afternoon to die down
at sunset. It brings good weather. It is usually accompanied by white clouds.
While bura and jugo each in their own way offer to sailors the excitement and
challenge, maestral guarantees a pure pleasure during which you can give yourself
to the sea without fear.
Other winds
The burin, a north-easterly, blows in the summer from the
mainland. The tramontana is a type of bora; it is a northerly.
Another type of bora is the easterly levante. Pulenat blows
from west and lebic from south-west. The nevera,
a violent westerly, comes as a storm or squall. In the summer months, storms
in the Adriatic are sudden and violent and produce a short-lasting swell. The
Adriatic storms have an advantage: they do not last long and some of them leave
behind pleasantly cool air. During periods of high pressure, the Adriatic also
has the classical rhythm of winds: winds from the land during the night and
from the sea during the day.
Weather Reports
The coastal radio stations broadcast weather reports in Croatian and English
several times a day. The reports include a general weather situation report,
messages and the forecast for the following 24 hours. Weather reports are broadcast
at the following UTC times (UTC + 1 h = CET; CET + 1 h = CE summer time):
- Rijeka Radio VHF Channel 24 - 05.35 14.35 19.35
- Split Radio VHF Channels 21, 23, 07, 28 - 05.45 12.45 19.45
- Dubrovnik Radio VHF Channels 04, 07 - 06.25 13.20 21.20