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From Town Tools. For the current version, visit https://www.towntools.org/rijeka-primorje-gorski-kotar-county-hr/bura-watch
The bura is Rijeka's signature hazard: a violent, cold north-east wind that falls off the mountains onto the bay and shuts the crossings residents depend on. This page reads the live wind and gusts at each crossing and flags when the bura is building — but it is a wind reading, not a closure notice. When the bura is up, the road authority (HAK) and the ferry operator (Jadrolinija) decide what is open, and their live channels are below.
The bura right now
The bura is blowing hard at the crossings — expect vehicles to be turned back or crossings to close. Check the official channels before you travel.
Live gusts, as of 12 October at 13:52. This is a wind reading, not a closure notice — the road authority and ferry operator decide, and their channels are below.
Each crossing
Krk Bridge (Krčki most)Bridge
Bura building
Gusting 53 km/h (strong wind, Beaufort 7), wind from the north-east.Forecast to peak around 55 km/h Mon 15:00.
The D102 crossing is the only road on and off Krk island. Croatian Roads restricts it in stages as the bura rises — first to Group I vehicles (motorcycles, vans, caravans, trailers and tarpaulin lorries), then to buses and lorries, and closes it entirely in orkanska (hurricane-force) bura. Recorded gusts here have topped 220 km/h.
HAK — Krk Bridge statusThe live restriction by vehicle group is on HAK's road-conditions service (dial 1987 in Croatia).
Rijeka bypass (Orehovica–Škurinje)Bypass
Bura building
Gusting 52 km/h (strong wind, Beaufort 7), wind from the north-east.Forecast to peak around 54 km/h Mon 17:00.
The A7 ring above the city. In strong bura it is limited to passenger cars, or closed to high-sided and Group I vehicles, pushing freight and buses down onto the city streets.
Gusting 78 km/h (gale, Beaufort 9), wind from the north-east.Forecast to peak around 92 km/h Mon 23:00.
The motorway climb toward Zagreb crosses exposed viaducts where the bura hits hard. It is routinely restricted to passenger cars only, or closed to vulnerable vehicles, when the bura blows.
Kvarner island crossings (Jadrolinija)Ferry crossing
Bura building
Gusting 54 km/h (strong wind, Beaufort 7), wind from the east.Forecast to peak around 54 km/h Mon 16:00.
Jadrolinija cancels catamaran and ferry sailings to Cres, Lošinj, Rab and the other Kvarner islands when the bura makes the crossing unsafe. Wind here is read over the open bay the boats cross — check the day's sailings before you set out for the port.
Whether a crossing is open, restricted by vehicle group, or closed is decided by the road authority (HAK / Croatian Roads) and, for the islands, by Jadrolinija — using their own anemometers and patrols, not this ~10 km weather model. Croatia restricts by vehicle group as the wind rises, so there is no public wind-speed table this page could copy. When the bura is up, always check the official channels above before you set out. In an emergency call 112.
How bura restrictions work
Croatia restricts by vehicle group, not by a public wind number
As the bura rises, the road authority bans the most wind-exposed vehicles first — Group I: motorcycles, vans (kombi), caravans, vehicles with trailers, and lorries with tarpaulin sides. Next come buses and the remaining lorries. In the strongest bura the crossing closes to everyone. The exact trigger is read from the authority's own anemometers and its patrols, so there is no public wind-speed table this page could copy — which is why it shows the wind and points you to the official status, rather than declaring a closure.
Why the bridge matters most
The Krk Bridge is the only road to Krk island and its airport. A closure strands the island and its ferries, so islanders and commuters watch the bura closely. When it shuts to Group I vehicles, a camper or a car with a caravan is turned back at the toll plaza.
The bura is a cold-season wind
Rijeka's bura blows mainly from October to March, in fierce bursts rather than constantly. A strong north-east wind in that season is the bura; a north-east breeze in summer is not the same thing. This page flags strong wind from the north-east, and leans on the official channels for the rest.
In a strong bura, check HAK before driving to Krk or up toward Zagreb — a closure at the bridge or a viaduct can add hours or strand you.
Travelling with a caravan, trailer or van? You are in the first group turned back, so check the vehicle-group status, not just whether the road is open.
Heading to the islands? Confirm the day's Jadrolinija sailings before you leave for the port — the bura cancels crossings with little notice.
Secure loose items, bins and garden furniture before a forecast bura, and park clear of trees, which the strongest bura uproots.
Checked 12 October at 13:52. Wind from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0) — a ~10 km model forecast, not anemometer readings, and gusts on an exposed bridge can run higher. Open-Meteo.
Severe bura
Crossings may be closing — check the official channels.