WEATHER

Mild Mediterranean climate with long, warm and dry summers and mild and pleasant winters. An average of 2388 sunny hours per year.

The average winter temperature ranges from 5 to 10° C, with summer temperatures averaging between 26 and 30° C. The temperature of the sea varies from 12° C in February to 25° C in August. The salinity is 36-38%.

The main winds are the bura (bora or north-easterly), mistral (north-westerly) and scirocco (southern).

The bura, a north-easterly wind, results from high air pressure over land and blows strongly from land towards the sea. The bura is difficult to predict, but there are signs indicating its approach: the tips of the coastal mountains are surrounded by small clouds, and white caps on the sea surface from the direction of the northeast. When the whitecaps reach a boat, the boat will be soon caught up in the full force of the wind. The further from the coast, the weaker the wind and its gusts. The bura usually blows for periods of several hours in the summer, and rarely can last for one to two days. Exceptionally strong bura winds blow in the Kvarner region, the Velebit Channel, near Šibenik, Split, Pelješac and Dubrovnik.

The mistral blows from the northwest during periods of high air pressure. The mistral is a sign of nice weather, and usually begins to blow at around 11 a.m. It can increase to be a 12 force wind and result in a unified sea movement. It subsides in the evening and following a calm night, begins to blow again in the same pattern the next day.

The south wind, or scirocco, is a moist wind which blows from the southeast. It brings with it large quantities of precipitation from October to late January. Free wave movements and "lead" clouds to the south are a sign of the approaching south wind, which results in significant waves. The south wind frequently lasts up to several days, and the waves can last for even longer. At times, the wind brings rain carrying reddish-brown sand from Africa. Only a few minutes is required for the wind to change direction and for the scirocco to change into a very strong bura.

The nevera is a strong western wind, which brings storms with it. In the summer months it begins with great force, but generally lasts a short time with quick and short wave movements. Following the storm, the air is usually pleasantly refreshed.

Other winds in the Adriatic Sea include the Libecco (SW), the Levantera (E) and the Tremontona (N).
In periods of stable high pressure, winds usually blow from the land at night and from the sea during the day.

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