Croatia has the reputation of being a paradise for sailors. But is it also a paradise for winds, some of which can reach hurricane force at very short notice! The picture below shows them on a wind rose according to the direction from which they blow. In short, northerly winds tend to be cold and dry, while southerly winds tend to be hot and humid.
Everything opposes the two prominent winds, the Bura and the Jugo: origin, temperature, humidity, mechanism. But they have one thing in common: their potential strength, which often threatens sailors at short notice...
In this post, we will be visiting the Bora and the Jugo, in preparation for our spring cruises in these waters!
Bura or Bora
The Bora is probably the best known and most feared wind by sailors in Croatia. Bora is a katabatibc wind, which means that it is the result of a mass of cold air with a high density falling over a mountain ridge into areas of warmer air with a lower density. It occurs mainly in the winter months when cold air accumulates in the mountainous areas north-east of the coast. It starts suddenly and can produce gale-force north-easterly winds in a matter of minutes! Bora can be seen along the eastern Adriatic coast from Trieste in Italy down to Montenegro. The wind map below shows a forecast of Bora for the Croatian coast on the evening of 3 May. As you can see, winds of up to 30 m/s (60 knots or 11 on the Beaufort scale!) are expected.
Forecast for tomorrow Monday 3 May 23:00 on Windy
Forecast for tomorrow 3 May 23:00 on the Bora forecast Croatian website
Strong Bora is dangerous as it can overturn a car on a road, or sweep pedestrians off cliffs. It has been reported that strong Bora has in the past caused fish rains, with fish being pulled out of the sea by the Bora and dropped overland at considerable distances. See pictures of Bora that we took in February 2021. On the positive side, the Bora winds bring salt to the island's grass, which makes for fantastic cheese from the sheep that graze there. Also, people in the countryside hang meat out to dry during the bora.
Links:
The Jugo
The Jugo is the Croatian name for the Sirocco, the dry, hot wind that originates over the Sahara, causing storms over the Mediterranean and strong south-easterly humid winds over the Adriatic, bringing rain and storms. As the Jugo crosses the entire Mediterranean, it causes high waves when it reaches Croatia. It can last for days. It is usually preceded by a lull at sea, a cloudy horizon, a rise in temperature and humidity, and a drop in atmospheric pressure.
It is so hated by the Croatians that Jugo has become a synonym for bad or uncomfortable.
Links as above, plus the sirocco on Wikipedia
Good to know before embarking for our Odyssey in four weeks!
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