Powerful storm sweeps across the country

A dangerous storm swept through Zagreb this morning, causing significant damage - most of it in Novi Zagreb. 

Strong winds tore down window blinds and uprooted trees, which fell onto cars. The roof of an elementary school was also damaged. Firefighters responded to multiple calls for assistance.

“There was a whirlwind. Yes, like a tornado,” said Boris, a resident of Novi Zagreb.

“Just before the tree came down, I went into my building with my dog and the kids told me that it fell onto my car. I'm a bit upset,” said Iva, another local.

Marijana Maričić, the principal of Gustav Krklec Elementary School says the school was seriously damaged in the storm but luckily no one was hurt.

"The north side of our roof is destroyed. The metal sheet was just ripped off and we have water coming down everywhere. It's worse than we initially thought,” said Maričić.

"Within five minutes, the skies turned black. We heard thunder and noise. When the rain eased up a bit we went outside and saw the roof was gone, again! The same thing happened two years ago!" said Nikola Cvetković, the school’s janitor.

After lashing the coast and central Croatia, the powerful storm moved into the eastern parts of the country. The national weather service had issued a red alert for the Osijek region, warning of extremely dangerous conditions. Residents in Slavonia also received text alerts about stormy weather and hurricane-force winds. In Osijek, strong gusts toppled scaffolding, uprooted trees, and ripped off roof tiles.

Istria and Kvarner were the first regions hit by the storm. A massive waterspout formed at sea near Pula, lasting for about 15 minutes. Waterspouts were also spotted near Rovinj and Vrsar. Such weather phenomena are not uncommon in the Adriatic during the summer, especially when conditions are unstable. In the Šibenik area, near the island of Kaprije, a catamaran carrying nine people capsized. Several passengers were thrown into the sea, but all were safely rescued.

"Further investigation will reveal exactly what happened, but it's important to emphasize that boaters must pay close attention to weather forecasts and current conditions, especially during summer. This must be taken seriously - if bad weather approaches, boats should head immediately to the nearest port or sheltered area to help prevent accidents like this,” said Ante Gović, the harbor master in Šibenik.