Severe Cold and Strong Winds Grip Croatia

The news in Croatian

1. led  (m.)
   voda u čvrstom stanju, nastaje kad se voda smrzne ↩︎
2. unutrašnjost  (f.)
   unutarnji dio zemlje, područja ili prostora, suprotno od obale ili ruba ↩︎
3. bura  (f.)
   jak, hladan i nagao vjetar koji najčešće puše s kopna prema moru na Jadranu ↩︎
4. narančast
   koji ima boju sličnu boji naranče ↩︎
5. upozorenje  (n.)
   obavijest ili poruka kojom se nekoga upozori na moguću opasnost ili problem ↩︎
6. sklizak
   takav da se po njemu lako posklizne jer je mokar, zaleđen ili mastan ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: What weather warnings did DHMZ give for Croatia?

Question 2: How are the roads described, and what should people do because of this?

Vocabulary

Croatian	English
led  (m.)	ice
unutrašnjost  (f.)	interior (of a country), inland
bura  (f.)	bora (strong north-eastern wind on the Adriatic)
narančast	orange (colour)
upozorenje  (n.)	warning
sklizak	slippery

Read the full story

Large parts of Croatia are facing a period of severe winter weather, with temperatures dropping well below freezing and strong coastal winds affecting travel and daily life. The Croatian national weather service, DHMZ, has issued a series of weather alerts (meteoalarms) covering the entire country.

On Sunday, conditions are expected to be mostly sunny across much of the country, but with very low temperatures. In inland regions, the night-time minimum will fall to around -10 to -5 °C, while daytime values will generally remain between -3 and 2 °C. Along the Adriatic coast, temperatures will be milder, from about 1 to 6 °C at night and 4 to 9 °C during the day, yet the weather will be windy, especially near mountain areas.

Forecasters report that parts of the interior will have cloudier periods during the night and morning, with a little snow in places. A weak to moderate north and north-easterly wind will blow inland, becoming stronger in gusts overnight. On the Adriatic, a moderate to strong bura (a cold, dry north-easterly wind typical for this region) and northerly wind will bring storm-force gusts, and in the area below the Velebit mountain range these gusts may even reach hurricane strength in the morning.

Because of the very low temperatures and the combination of snow and ice, the authorities have warned of black ice on roads and pavements. In their advisory, they emphasise the risk of slippery surfaces caused by freezing compressed snow and call on people to take care when walking, cycling or driving. Short interruptions of outdoor activities are also considered possible in some areas.

For Sunday, meteoalarms have been issued for the whole of Croatia. Large inland regions, including the Zagreb, Osijek, Karlovac and Gospić areas, are under a yellow alert for extremely low temperatures, snow and ice. The Knin region also faces a yellow alert for wind, snow and ice. On the coast, the Split, Rijeka and Dubrovnik regions are under a yellow alert mainly due to strong winds.

The entire coastal belt is on alert because of the bura and other strong winds. The Velebit Channel and parts of central Dalmatia have been given an orange warning, which signals that the weather may be dangerous and could cause disruptions, especially at sea and in traffic. The rest of the Adriatic coast remains under a yellow warning for wind.

Weather alerts continue into Monday. On that day, the Zagreb and Osijek regions move to an orange alert because of extremely low temperatures, snow and ice, while other areas such as Osijek, Gospić and Knin also keep yellow warnings for cold conditions and slippery surfaces. The Split and Dubrovnik regions are expected to experience a combination of strong winds and very low temperatures, with a yellow alert in force. The Rijeka region is also under a yellow warning for low temperatures on Monday.

Despite the current cold snap, meteorologists from regional services such as Istramet point out that these will likely be the last two truly winter-like days in the near future. After this short but intense period of freezing weather, Croatia is expected to move into a phase of milder conditions with more clouds, southerly winds and occasional rain. They note that December was mostly warmer and drier than usual, and that the start of 2026 has been noticeably colder than the long-term average, but this pattern should only last for a few days.

According to the DHMZ forecast, Monday will bring gradual cloudiness from the west. In inland Croatia it will remain very cold in the morning, but daytime temperatures will slowly begin to rise. On Tuesday, the weather will be mostly overcast, with occasional precipitation near the border between rain and snow in the interior. In some places this may freeze on the ground, creating additional icy patches. From Tuesday, local rain is expected mainly in the northern Adriatic and the mountain regions (Gorska Hrvatska).

By Wednesday, forecasters expect more sunny intervals, especially after the thickest clouds move away. At the same time, winds will turn to a weak to moderate south-westerly inland and jugo and southerly winds along the Adriatic, although a stronger northerly wind is still likely in Dalmatia on Monday, particularly during the first part of the day.

As the week progresses, both daytime and night-time temperatures are forecast to rise noticeably, becoming above the seasonal average for the coldest part of the year. Meteorologists describe the expected pattern as relatively stable, possibly lasting around 10 to 15 days, with a lot of low cloud and occasional fog, especially in the interior. Although this does not mean that winter is over, it suggests a calmer period without major weather extremes once the current cold outbreak has passed.

For people unfamiliar with the region, this episode demonstrates how quickly weather can change in Croatia: from above-average warmth in early winter to sharp frosts, snow and strong bura winds, and then back to milder, cloudier and wetter conditions. Local authorities and meteorological services continue to advise residents and travellers to follow official forecasts and warnings, adjust travel plans where necessary and take extra care on icy roads and pavements.

Info: ‘Croatian Learner News’ is a service from ‘Let’s Learn Croatian’, a language school dedicated to helping people learn Croatian through a range of online courses and resources. We provide structured lessons and materials designed to support learners at different stages of their study.