Nebojsa Kustrinovic, Banja Luka Meteorologist, Dies at 78

Nebojsa Kustrinovic, the best-known meteorologist in Republika Srpska and a former director of its Hydrometeorological Institute, has died in Banja Luka at 78. News of his death was reported on the morning of September 30, 2026, by media in Serbia, including Novosti and Telegraf. The published sources do not give a cause of death or a date for the funeral.

Who was Nebojsa Kustrinovic?

He was born on July 8, 1948, in Banja Luka, the city where he died, and trained as a graduate meteorologist. He spent his working life in the hydrometeorological service and rose to become director of the Hydrometeorological Institute of Republika Srpska.

He was also a member of the meteorological team that covered the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, one of the most demanding assignments a weather service can get, since competitions on snow depend on forecasts that change hour by hour.

A forecast with sayings and ancestral experience

For decades he was known for blending the standard weather forecast with folk beliefs, proverbs and the experience of earlier generations. That approach made him recognizable, and a welcome guest whenever the weather was the topic, both among ordinary people and in the media.

According to Novosti, Glas Srpske and Telegraf, Kustrinovic also left a mark in many other areas of life, and he was active as a television and radio contributor. Those three outlets say only that his show “Kafanska” is well known, while the portal Klix reports that he edited and hosted it, and that he was one of the founders of the Cevap Fest in Banja Luka.

What does his old school say about him?

The name of Kustrinovic appears in the “Former Pupils” section of the website of the “Aleksa Santic” primary school in Banja Luka. The school says he is surely the person who has “entered” the most of their homes, and it writes the following about him and his family:

With his optimism, he makes even the announcement of bad weather bearable. One gets the impression that with his gentleness and warmth he could tame storms too. You may guess that this is about the greatest and most listened-to meteorologist-poet of Republika Srpska, Nebojsa Kustrinovic. He always stressed his boundless love for his native Banja Luka, and he always repaid it selflessly, as a man, meteorologist, athlete, sports official and enthusiast for all of it. He, his brother and three sisters attended our school. They were all gladly welcomed and a source of pride, just as their Bojic Han and Banja Luka took pride in them.

That is how the “Aleksa Santic” primary school put it. The same text shows that Kustrinovic attended the school together with his brother and three sisters, and that the school is proud of them as its pupils.

What else is known about his work?

The published reports tie his name to two fields: professional work in the hydrometeorological service, including the director’s post at the institute, and a public presence in which he linked forecasting with sayings and the experience of ancestors. Details of any farewell ceremony had not been announced at the time of writing, and the sources carry no statements from his family or colleagues.