Ogulin reached 28.9°C, Pleso in Zagreb was 29°C – and Gorica near Nova Gradiška got up to 30.2°C! Record highs have already been reported in these areas, and the next 7 to 10 days show no sign of cooler weather.
It is already well known that April, in the meteorological sense, is one of the most unpredictable months. In April, both snow and summer heat is possible, and there are even national phrases dedicated to weird April weather. This April, however, could be the hottest since meteorological measurements began, reports 24 Sata on April 24, 2018.
“April is climatically the most promising month as it is possible to see snow and frost and summer heat. Weather systems have been interrupted, and we are going quickly into the summer. In a warmer climate, there is increasing energy in the air, and then extreme weather events can happen more easily. There is still time to see if this climate is an anomaly, but I do not think it is. Statistics show that we will have more extreme weather,” says meteorologist Branko Grisogono, who adds that temperatures should come back to normal in early May.
“This is very unpleasant, and even though such things have happened before, meaning that this is nothing new, it is happening more frequently than before and is known to last longer. The atmosphere and the sea are nervous from the heat and conflict, and therefore go from one type of flow to another, and it is happening more often than we are used to,” explains Grisogono.
Forecaster Lovor Kalina said that some weather stations had measured absolute records. In Ogulin, a new April record was set at 28.9 degrees Celsius. Zagreb’s Pleso and Gorica near Nova Gradiška also saw new April records – Pleso reached 29°C and Gorica 30.2°C.
“This is extreme heat for this time of year, and this is probably one of the hottest April months since meteorological measurements. We also expect a lot of warmth in the coming days. The next seven to ten days do not welcome any cooler weather,” Kalina said.
April measurements from the past confirm the month’s volatile moods. For example, on April 29, 2012, Varaždin reached 30.4°C, and in Zagreb on the same day, the temperature reached 30.5°C. In Osijek on April 24, 1968, 30.9°C was measured.
The highest April temperature in Zavižan was measured in 2012 at 19.4°C, while in April 2003, the temperature was -14.5°.
