A northern Adriatic dossier for peninsula coasts, exposed gaps and island approaches.
Forecast sectors and coverage
Read DHMZ northern-Adriatic warnings and marine text; verify the precise sector names in the current issue. An Italy-bound leg also needs the corresponding Italian product.
Weather-sensitive legs
When bora/bura appears in the bulletin, assess gust exposure across mainland–island gaps rather than just the harbour wind. A direction change can alter which side of Cres/Krk or the peninsula provides shelter.
Observations, sea state and reassessment
Use recent wind observations with their actual exposure and retain the warning context. An offshore wind at the departure coast does not establish an easy arrival on another coast or a low wave state across the gap.
Worked planning scenario — not a live forecast
For a peninsula-to-island leg, compare the exposed middle segment and arrival ETA. If shelter at the destination depends on the forecast direction staying unchanged, specify a reassessment time and a verified alternative before the gap.
Official products by task
- DHMZ Adriatic marine forecast — Adriatic warnings and marine text; verify the subarea and valid period.
- Aeronautica Militare: Meteomar entry point — Service portal: open MARE E MONTAGNA / Meteomar and the gale bulletin; this URL is not itself the bulletin.
Sector names help you locate the issuing product; they are not an automatic route-coverage match. Open the current issue and check boundaries, issue time and validity. This page does not display current warnings; an unavailable product does not mean no hazard.
Countries & territories
- Croatia
Northern Adriatic, Dalmatian channels and open crossings are separate weather tasks.
- Italy
Compare Sardinia, Sicily, Naples and the wider Adriatic/Tyrrhenian context.
Map orientation
The approximate map centre is not an approach waypoint, track, depth survey or forecast-zone boundary. The third-party map loads only on request.
Build your passage brief
Bring your route, leg timings, vessel and crew profile, checked sources and reassessment triggers into the brief. Personal AI analysis and expert review are available to invited closed-test participants; a port page does not extend the calculation service’s coverage.
A Sailing Weather editorial guide to local conditions, practical passage preparation and marine-weather sources. Source and structure review: 27 September 2026. For a specific passage, check current issues, validity and forecast coverage. The skipper retains the final decision and responsibility.
Differentiate the peninsula from mountain-side channels
Split a Pula–Cres–Krk itinerary at the exposed peninsula leg, island gap and destination side. The DHMZ bulletin can identify localities of enhanced gusts rather than one uniform northern-Adriatic wind; carry that locality into the route table. A Velebit-area warning must not be reduced to the value at an Istrian marina or mechanically applied as an identical value to every island coast.
- DHMZ marine forecast for small craft — Adriatic warnings, synopsis and sea-state terminology
Separate wind, sea scale and navigation
The sea-state number in the small-craft text is not metres of wave height. Compare like quantities when reviewing a model and distinguish forecast average wind from gusts in the warning. HHI navigational publications and warnings answer questions about marks, works and restrictions, not the wind forecast. These checks remain necessary when a numerical map shows favourable weather in a narrow channel.
- DHMZ marine forecast for small craft
- Croatian Hydrographic Institute — Official charts, publications and navigational-warning entry point Direct product verification is limited; obtain the current issue from the issuer.
Test the arrival after a turn in direction
For a peninsula-to-island crossing, ask whether the approach remains usable under the later valid hour, not only under departure conditions. If the destination-side shelter relies on one wind direction, define the change that requires reconsideration and the point before which a shorter alternative is still practical. A calm observation on a protected side is local evidence; retain the warning for the exposed segment.
Editorial review of this material: 27 September 2026. This date concerns the page content; check current forecast issue times and validity at the original sources.