BURA is a dry, very cold northern (from NNE to ENE) wind character ised by violent gusts. A katabatic (from Greek: going downhill) wind,it blows over the slopes of coastal mountains (such as Velebit and Biokovo) bringing cold air that – due to its weight accelerates and hits the sea with gale force, spreading in form of a fan (like fingers!),causing a lot of troubles, especially to inexperienced sailors because of its strong blows and rapid change of direction. Around midday, with warming of the air by sun radiation, it weakens – Split seamen say that bura takes a lunch break – but in the afternoon it gets stronger again (when it wakes up and enjoys coffee!), reaching its biggest force in early evening hours and again at dawn. Usually “announced” by thin white clouds (caps) over the summits of coastal mountains, bura leaves you little time to escape or prepare (to reef the sails) before you meet its first stroke. Bura creates very unpleasant short, but considerably high waves with lots of foam and spray, making breathing hardly possible, so that a man overboard, even with his/her life vest on, has scarce chances to survive unless promptly recovered (which is a very demanding operation due to scarce visibility). Along the Adriatic coast bura has its “favourite”regions where it is both intense and frequent, such as the Gulf of Trieste, the Kvarner Gulf, Velebit Channel, wider Šibenik area, the Kaštela Bay, Makarska and surroundings Žuljana cove on the Pelješac peninsula. Further from the coast, bura gains in directional regularity, but force as well, so in the aquatorium of the Palagruža islet it reaches stormy strength. Bura is much weaker along the western Adriatic coast, but it still can be dangerous because there are no natural safe havens with exception of the Manfredonia area,to south of the Gargano peninsula. In the winter season bura lasts up to two weeks, oscillating in force and bringing cold rainfall or even snow (cyclonal, also called the dark bura).
Zeljko Serdar, CCRES.