DHMZ has issued a warning stating that very adverse weather conditions are expected until Thursday, January 8, 2026, which is why warnings of snow, heavy precipitation and stormy winds have been issued. Very windy in the Adriatic with strong and stormy bora, in the south and jugo and south wind. In Dalmatia, locally heavy rain, flash floods and urban flooding are possible. Inland, frequent snow, especially in Gorska Croatia and in the east of the country and a thicker snow cover.
During Monday, January 5, the valley of cold air will deepen towards the Iberian Peninsula, and on its front, moisture-rich air will continue to flow over our regions from the southwest. At the same time, cold air will descend from the north and will affect the south of our country by the end of Wednesday.
A low-pressure area with associated frontal disturbances persists over the Mediterranean. A branch of the anticyclone is strengthening from the west of the continent, supporting differences in air pressure between the aforementioned anticyclone and cyclonic centers further south, which leads to windy weather in the Adriatic and inland Dalmatia.
Heavy rain on the Adriatic, snow with snow cover inland
By mid-week, the Adriatic will be very unstable with rain, in Dalmatia it will be heavy in places, accompanied by thunderstorms. Locally, more than 100 liters of rain per square meter will fall, with the possibility of flash and urban flooding (Figure 2). Inland, it will mostly snow, creating a snow cover, especially in Mountainous Croatia and in the east of the country, where 20 to, locally in Lika, 50 cm of accumulated snow is expected by the end of Wednesday (Figure 3). Strong winds will also blow in mountainous areas, so snow flurries and blizzards are very likely.
With the drop in temperature, rain will turn into sleet and snow in the interior of Dalmatia and Istria. Snowfall may also occur in some places on the coast, especially in the northern Adriatic on Tuesday. In the south of Lika, in the mountainous areas of Dalmatia, on Monday, January 5, and in the far east, rain that freezes on contact with cold ground and objects is possible.
Very windy on the Adriatic
In the northern and part of the central Adriatic, a strong bora will blow on Tuesday (January 6) and Wednesday (January 7), and stormy with hurricane-force gusts, which will certainly cause restrictions on road and maritime traffic. Locally, bora gusts will be around 130 km/h. In the south of the country, occasionally strong southwest and south winds and jugo. The bora is expected to weaken during Thursday (January 8).
In most of the interior, the days will be cold until Thursday (January 8), meaning that the air temperature will not exceed 0 °C even during the day. The air temperature will also gradually fall in the Adriatic, especially in the northern part, and the strong and stormy bora wind will further intensify the feeling of cold, so the feeling of comfort will be in the "extremely cold" category in some places (Figure 5).
On Thursday, precipitation will gradually cease from the northwest and cloud cover will decrease, so the morning will be even colder than in previous days. The lowest morning temperature in the interior will often be around -5 °C, in places around -10 °C, and negative temperature values will be local and on the coast, especially in the northern Adriatic.
Follow warnings and forecasts and act according to the recommendations of the competent authorities.
Warnings for snow, heavy precipitation and gale force winds are in effect, and adverse weather conditions may particularly affect traffic and outdoor activities.
We recommend regularly monitoring forecasts and warnings on the website. meteo.hr, where DHMZ forecasters update them according to the development of the weather situation. Since the warning levels can change, it is important to check them several times a day during such unstable days. Follow the instructions of the competent services and adapt your activities to the weather conditions, the DHMZ says.
Source: DHMZ
