Bora, rain, snow? Croatia weather and roads for All Saints

Anyone driving to the coast over the long All Saints weekend, or heading home from it, will meet bora wind, rain and falling temperatures. According to the outlook issued on Thursday morning by the state weather service DHMZ, Saturday 31 October is the calmest day. From Sunday afternoon, the public holiday on 1 November, rain reaches almost the whole country, and the bora grows stronger at the start of the week. The wind is already slowing traffic around the Velebit range.

Where the bora restricts traffic today

According to the Croatian Automobile Club HAK (as of Thursday 29 October, 10:10), the A1 between the Sveti Rok and Posedarje junctions is open to passenger cars only. All other vehicles are diverted via Benkovac, Karin, Obrovac and Gračac. The Pag bridge (D106) is also open to passenger cars only.

On the D8 coast road, motorcycles, vehicles with trailers and double-decker buses are banned between Novi Vinodolski and Senj. From Senj to Sveta Marija Magdalena the ban also covers delivery vans and vehicles with a covered cargo area. HAK reports restrictions on the D54 between Maslenica and Zaton Obrovački and on the Omiš bypass as well. On the A6 between Delnice and Kikovica it advises motorcycles, double-decker buses, cars towing caravans, refrigerated lorries and box vans to use the D3 instead. The ferry between Prizna and Žigljen on Pag is suspended because of the weather (as of 09:45).

Below the Velebit, DHMZ expects storm-force and locally hurricane-force gusts on Thursday, Index.hr reports, citing the weather service. On Friday the bora stays moderate to strong, storm-force below the Velebit, with 16 to 20 degrees by the sea and 9 to 13 degrees inland.

The weather from Saturday to Monday

Inland it stays mostly cloudy, with sunny spells most likely on Saturday. Light rain falls mainly in the east and the mountains at first, then almost everywhere from Sunday afternoon. The coast sees more sunshine until Sunday, especially in the north, while the south may get local rain. On Monday it turns cloudier and wetter by the sea as well. The bora blows moderate to strong, with storm-force gusts mostly below the Velebit, and strengthens at the start of the week. Inland the wind can also turn strong on Monday.

The DHMZ text outlook does not mention snow. Index.hr points to the weather service's maps, however, which show possible snow on higher ground in Gorski kotar and Lika on Sunday and especially on Monday and Tuesday. From Wednesday 4 November the weather is expected to settle gradually. A forecast this many days ahead can still change.

What it means for visitors

• Driving home over the Velebit: Saturday is the best day. With a trailer, motorhome or van, check HAK before setting off to see whether the A1 between Sveti Rok and Posedarje is open to your vehicle. The detour runs on country roads through the Zadar hinterland.
• Trip to Pag: by car you can cross the Pag bridge, while the ferry from Prizna is not running for now.
• Daytime lights: from Sunday 1 November, headlights are compulsory during the day in Croatia, and the fine is 30 euros.
• Winter tyres: the requirement on designated winter roads starts on 15 November. In snow or ice, however, no car may drive without winter equipment even before that date. Anyone taking the A6 through Gorski kotar or the A1 through Lika on Monday or Tuesday should be prepared (our guide).
• Cemetery visits on All Saints: inland, the rain only reaches almost every region on Sunday afternoon, so the morning is the better time. Buses and road closures around Mirogoj in Zagreb are in our piece on its 150th anniversary.
• Roadworks on the A1: on the night into Friday the motorway is closed in both directions between Bisko and Šestanovac from 22:00 to 05:00, with a detour via the D220, D60 and D39. On 4 November the Dubrovnik-bound carriageway between Ploče and the Karamatići toll station is closed, and on 5 November the Zagreb-bound one, each time from 08:00 to 18:00, with traffic sent along the D8 and D62. More roadworks are listed in our A2 piece.

Monthly averages and sea temperatures for the whole of November are in our November weather guide, and waiting times for the drive home in our border crossings guide. Road conditions often change within hours as the wind shifts, and HAK lists the current restrictions.