Climate Croatia

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As everywhere in Southern Europe, the spring-summer period is ideal. However, from mid-July to mid-August, the large southern coastline experiences an influx of foreign visitors. Temperatures are sometimes scorching, beaches as well as some crowded sites. However, you can swim from the beginning of June to October (water temperature between 21 and 24 °C), mass tourism has not arrived or has already left. In April and late October, it is cool to sleep in tents or swim, but the Adriatic coast still enjoys sunny days. Rainy episodes are to be expected. There is an increase in the number of visitors in the spring and autumn half seasons, appreciated by lovers of discovery, heritage, art of living, well-being, cycling and hiking... In Croatia, the magic of winter can be seen in the sometimes snowy cities (Zagreb, Rijeka, Split, Dubrovnik), which rely on the Advent celebrations.

Harsh winters and hot, dry summers

In the Dinaric Alps, there are about twenty mountain peaks with an altitude of more than 1,000 m, the highest being Dinar, which reaches a peak of 1,830 m. We ski in Sljeme or Platak. Altitude temperatures range from -5°C (January) to +15°C (August). Extreme rainfall ranges from 30 mm (July) to 270 mm (March). The average annual relative humidity level is around 75%. Overall, few people live in these inhospitable mountains. Population density increases as soon as you descend into the central valleys and plains. The climate becomes semi-continental with cold winters, alternating frequent snowfalls and often negative temperatures. Summers are hot, with an average of 25°C (July and August) and thunderstorms in the late evening.

Extreme precipitation in the east is 30 mm (February) and 180 mm (July). The average annual humidity level is 68%. In spring 2014, Slavonia, bordering Serbia and Bosnia, experienced its worst rainy depression in its history - a 205 mm accumulation in Belgrade, which caused the Save River to overflow and the dikes to collapse. The toll was heavy: two deaths in Croatia, the loss of livestock, population movements and the destruction of some infrastructure.

The Mediterranean climate of the Adriatic coast is the most popular!

Mediterranean type, Istria and Dalmatia benefit from a beautiful sunshine all year round. Mild temperatures range from 7°C (February) to 28°C (July and August), with peaks above 35°C at the height of the summer season. From June to October, the water temperature varies between 20 and 26°C, with Indian summers extending. In autumn and spring, thunderstorms and sudden rainfall events can surprise. Extreme rainfall of 15 mm in the spring can reach 135 mm (December).

Winds - important factors of the Croatian climate - are the most influential. The bora (northeast), with gusts up to 200 km/h, is strongly felt on the coast along the Lika mountain, sometimes even as far as Dubrovnik, where air traffic is stopped when it is too high. On the other side, the jugo (southeast), rather warm, announces the storm. Finally, the maestral (northwest), allied with windsurfers, can bring light continuous breezes in summer.

In the summer of 2017, when temperature peaks of around 35°C and strong winds were recorded, the heatwave episode saw huge forest fires break out in mid-July, carrying hundreds of hectares of pine forests to the outskirts of Split. But compared to Portugal, Spain or even France, Croatia is rather spared by this natural disaster.