Winds
1. BORA – Bora is a dry and cold northern-eastern wind. It usually accompanies nice and stabile weather. Bora can blow at any time of year, even though it is most frequent wind in winter. It is not uncommon to witness stormy gusts of bora. In summertime bora blows for short periods: usually it last for several hours, two days at maximum. In wintertime, however, bora can blow for up to two weeks. Extremely strong bora cannot blow for longer than two days. Due to a specific relief of Croatian coast, bora is characteristic for its short gusts. It usually starts quite suddenly.
2. LEVANTER / EASTERN WIND is actually bora blowing quite evenly, is more eastern and it usually accompanies rainy and moderately cold weather. It is characteristic of northern Adriatic coast and can be described as something between bora and sirocco.
3. NORTHERN WIND / TRAMONTANE is a form of bora which blows from the northern direction. It is not as sudden and violent as bora is. Along the east coast of the Adriatic it can reach tempest- like strength, but due to its short blowing paths, it creates short windy waves. Their tips are dispersed in sea smoke. As it blows further towards the open sea, bora becomes weak but raises big waves without sea smoke
4. SIROCCO is a warm, wet wind blowing from the ESE and mowing towards the SSE. It blows along the entire Adriatic coast. Sirocco is often the cause of rough sea. It is accompanied by cloudy skies and rain. It is very frequent on the Southern Adriatic coast and shows a far greater strength in this area than on the northern coast. Sirocco is not a mild wind. Its average strength reaches up to 4-5 Bf, but it can often be of tempest-like strength. Sirocco mostly occurs in the open se and the channels of the same direction as the wind itself.
5. MAESTRAL, a summer wind, blowing along the coast, rarely reaching the mainland area that is 20 meters away. It is a low wind (up to 300 m high). Maestral occurs around 10 o’clock, reaching its maximum strength at 2 o’clock and abating before sunset (around 6 o’clock p.m.) Maestral is accompanied by nice, sunny weather and as such it makes summer heat more bearable. Stormy maestral is a consequence of frontal weather. Maestral usually blows from the NW direction and turns to the WNW. Throughout the day, maestral changes its direction more to the right, i.e. after the sun.
6. BURIN – burin is a low wind which rarely reaches the open sea. It blows from the NNE direction towards the ENE direction. Burin usually blows southward on the south coast and westward along the west coast. It starts around 8 or 9 o’clock p.m. It reaches its maximum strength shortly before the sunrise. A windless period follows, only to be replaced by maestral.
Another wind remains to be mentioned- lebiæ, a stormy south-westerly wind. In summertime it takes form of a strong, violent storm or squall known as nevera. In wintertime it bears the characteristic of a cyclone. It creates big waves which pose dangers to unprotected Croatian harbours.