Istrian winds Istrian winds: bura vs yugo
Whether you are going to live on the Croatian coast or an island, visit Croatia as a tourist, or just stop by on your trip to another European country, it’s essential to understand Croatian winds.
It might seem silly to a foreigner, but many Istrians believe the wind can not only help determine if rain is on the horizon, but can also affect mood, health, and food production and may even motivate you to commit a crime.
Specifically, the two winds to know are bura and jugo, which represent the northern and southern winds respectively. The eastern and western winds are fairly irrelevant, as in they just levy near the impact of bura and jugo on daily life.
As bura and jugo will inevitably come up in conversation when speaking with a Croatian, it’s best to know why these winds are so important.
Let’s call bura the good wind. A wind called bura commonly occurs along the Adriatic coast of Croatia. Bura is an intensely cold northeast wind that chills you to the bone even if the sun is shining. If you have ever met a strong bura, we are sure you haven’t forgotten it.
Strong bura can be dangerous for everyone, from people to transport. Debris, furniture, and even scooters can be tossed around like paper planes. Ferries along the coast are sometimes stopped during bura. It can be perilous for boats and other vessels due to the large sea waves caused by this wind, resulting in accidents. Roads that cut through mountain passes and bridges have been known to close as well for everyone’s safety.
Bura also causes sea smoke. Sea smoke occurs when the wind tears off tiny droplets from the top of the waves. They are dangerous for fishermen because they can make breathing difficult. Sea smoke is most common below Velebit Mountain.
Let the bura carry us…
The wind is very important to locals living along Croatia’s coastline. There are many winds, but the two most important are bura and jugo. They are the strongest winds on the coast.
In general, winds along Croatia’s coastline appear depending on the weather. Common southern winds include jugo, oštro, and lebić. These winds are warm and humid. Common northern winds are bura, tramontana, and levanat. They are mossy, cold, and dry. Burin and maestral are common during stable summer weather.
Bura clears up a hazy sky and blows away humidity, leaving crisp, clean air. There is a saying that “no burano no good pršut”. In the hinterland, people will hang meat on trees during bura, as it is best for drying.
Bura below Velebit can blow at speeds of over 150 kilometers per hour. The strongest gusts could not be measured with a manual anemometer because they exceeded the device’s limit of 200 kilometers per hour.
Croatia’s 3 bura of March
March is one of the windiest months on Croatia’s coastline. In the area of Split, bura occurs very often in the first and third weeks of March. It is very rare to occur in the second week of March for seemingly no good reason.
There is a long-standing belief that a very strong bura appears 3 times during March. This phenomenon is called tri marčane bure which means three bura of March.
Tri marčane bure should appear every year on certain dates, depending on the exact part of the Adriatic. These winds usually occur on March 7, March 17, and March 27. On central Adriatic islands, they usually appear on March 7, March 17, and March 21.
It is said that winter is not over until after all three bura blow through. Some bura that happen in March are considered too small to be counted. They only count if they are big bura – and you’ll know it when it happens.
Generally speaking, March is a transitional month between winter and spring. The weather in March can be very unstable and unpredictable in Croatia. This month is sometimes very warm, and on occasion, tri marčane bure don’t appear at all.
Low air pressure is common during the cold part of the year on the Adriatic coast and the Mediterranean. During this time, the Mediterranean is warmer than Eurasia. This is why cyclones are most common between October and April on the Adriatic coast.
The Adriatic Sea cools faster than the rest of the Mediterranean because it is closed on three sides and shallower. This makes the Adriatic Sea one of the coldest parts of the Mediterranean during January and February. These months are also the coldest in the Mediterranean overall. The cyclone slows down, then the anticyclone can bring stabler weather with winter sun.
During March, the days become longer and brighter. The cyclone appears again and brings cold continental air with it. This cyclone brings this cold air towards the south, over the mountains, and down towards the sea. This is how bura is made. Istrian winds: bura vs yugo
Bura that appears during the anticyclone is followed by a phenomenon called planinska kapa (mountain hat). Planinska kapa occurs when cold air rises along the northern side of the mountain. The detail of them all.
There is a young man in a Roman military dress whose cloak flutters in the wind. Eol, a Greek god of wind, is also portrayed, and his curly hair is shown fluttering in the wind. From Eol’s horn, windy flames come out towards the young man’s cloak. This relief definitely showcases bura including the three buras of March. According to this, majstor Radovan could be called Croatia’s first climatologist.
Now for the bad wind. Jugo is a moist wind, typically accompanied by dark clouds and rain-filled storms. It blows in from the southeast, coming over the islands and onto the shore.
It is said to cause depression, body aches, pains, headaches, and grumpiness. In this unique part of the world, jugo is always an acceptable excuse for this melancholic behavior or really anything bad that you do during jugo.
At one time, people accused of committing a crime could use jugo as part of their legal defense if the crime happened during jugo winds.
The word jugo itself can be used as a synonym for bad or inconvenient. For instance, you could say “This sandwich is really jugo” or “I hope I don’t miss my bus, that would be jugo”.
If the sky is dark and you’re feeling under the weather, just say “to ti je jugo” which means “it is jugo”. Then follow it up with “ne da mi se”, which means “I don’t feel like it”.
In Istria, winds have names, just like in Italy, France, and other Mediterranean countries. So locals never refer to the ‘wind’, they always mention the name of the wind they’re talking about, which would be either the Bura or the Yugo.
“The Bura blew over all my flower pots!”
“Go close the window upstairs - the Yugo is banging it!”
“Is this the Bura blowing today?” You could be ask, only to be contradicted: “Noooo! This is the Yugo!”
Welcome Bura! May people get relief from his knee pain and the mold stop growing around doorways! Prsut will turn out just perfect, and hopefully the plaster on the walls will dry quickly!
Istrian olive oil- heaven in the bottle
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