Early heatwave shatters April records in Croatia

Record-Breaking April Heat Sweeps Croatia

There were record-breaking temperatures for mid-April in some pars of Croatia on Sunday, April 14, 2024, as reported by the chief meteorologist of HRT, Zoran Vakula.

According to unofficial data, which climatologists from DHMZ are yet to analyse and confirm, the highest April temperatures were recorded in Bednja at 30.2°C, Delnice at 25.2°C, Karlovac at 31.6°C, Krapina at 30.4°C, Mali Lošinj at 27.1°C, Ogulin at 29.5°C, Požega at 30.5°C, Sisak at 31.6°C, and Velika Gorica (Zagreb Airport) at 30.6°C. 

Additionally, Parg above Čabar recorded 26.0°C, Grič in Zagreb recorded 29.8°C, and Kutina and Maksimir tied previous April records at 31.0°C and 30.5°C, respectively. 

Later official and detailed analyses might reveal even more exceptionally high temperatures.

Moreover, in some inland areas, it wasn’t just the first hot day, defined as having a maximum daily temperature of 30.0°C or higher, of the year, but the earliest occurrence of such heat ever recorded. 

For example, in Osijek, the first hot day of the year had been on April 19, 1920, until this Sunday, and in Maksimir “only” on April 29, 2012.

The 10 hottest temperatures recorded in Croatia

The above-average warmth will persist into Monday and even Tuesday, followed by a significant weather change, and not just a brief one. 

On Tuesday, the unusually warm weather will come to an end with rain and thunderstorms, initially affecting the northwest of the country. A sudden shift in wind direction to the northeast will bring noticeably cooler air, causing rain to turn to snow in the mountains by the end of the day. Wednesday and Thursday will remain colder and unsettled with occasional precipitation, as forecasted by Tomislava Hojsak, B.Sc., from DHMZ, for HRT.

On the Adriatic coast, Tuesday will gradually become cloudier. The bulk of the rain, sometimes accompanied by thunderstorms, will arrive in the latter part of the day and into Wednesday night. 

Moderate to strong southerly winds will rapidly shift to a stormy north wind on Tuesday evening in the north. Wednesday and Thursday will be changeable, with rain and showers mostly localized. 

The winds will be northerly and northwesterly, and temperatures will be more typical of mid-April compared to the past few days.