Croatia braces for peak heatwave with early morning temperatures exceeding 30 degrees

Croatia remains under heatwave warnings, with meteorologists predicting the most severe conditions for Wednesday and Thursday. The peak of the heatwave is expected today, with dangerous high temperatures forecast to persist nationwide at least until Friday.

The State Hydrometeorological Institute anticipates predominantly sunny, very hot, and humid weather. There is a slight chance of brief afternoon showers, mainly in mountainous regions and parts of Istria and Dalmatia. Winds will generally be light, though moderate southeasterly winds are expected along the Adriatic coast, shifting to southwesterly in the afternoon.

Daytime temperatures are projected to range between 33 and 38 degrees Celsius across the country. Exceptionally high temperatures were already recorded early this morning. Senj registered 30.6 degrees Celsius at 6 a.m., while Rijeka Airport recorded 30.4 degrees. Other coastal locations like Sveti Ivan na pučini, Crikvenica, Dubrovnik Airport, and Mali Lošinj also experienced morning temperatures between 28 and 29.2 degrees.

Of the 20 warmest measurement stations, most are located along the Adriatic coast. Cities like Dubrovnik, Pula, Rijeka, Opatija, and Rab saw morning temperatures between 26.4 and 27.5 degrees. Split, Hvar, and Makarska recorded temperatures between 25.5 and 25.9 degrees. Zagreb-Maksimir was the only continental location among the top twenty, with a morning temperature of 25.6 degrees. A total of 35 meteorological stations across Croatia recorded temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius.