Split and Solin Flooded as Kosi Gets 95 Litres of Rain
Neighboring Croatia spent the evening under an orange warning: flooded streets in Split and Solin, torrents in Neslanovac, and catamaran lines to Hvar and Korcula halted.
A storm swept across central Dalmatia in neighboring Croatia on the evening of October 21, leaving streets in Split, Solin, Podstrana and Kastela under water within a short time. According to the automatic stations of the Crometeo network, Kosi recorded 95 litres of rain per square meter by 6:30 p.m., and sea traffic to the islands has been partly halted.
In brief
- The storm hit the Trogir area after 5 p.m. and Split after 6 p.m., then moved on to Solin, Podstrana, Kastela and parts of the Dalmatian Hinterland
- By 6:30 p.m. Kosi had 95 l/m², Nisko 76, Grohote on Solta 63 and Stasevica 62
- The Sumartin-Makarska and Prapratno-Sobra ferry lines stopped, along with catamarans from Split to Hvar, Korcula and Dubrovnik
- The State Hydrometeorological Institute (DHMZ) issued an orange warning for Split-Dalmatia County
How much rain fell, and where?
The measurements do not all come from the same time window, so they should be read separately. By 6:30 p.m. Crometeo had recorded 95 litres per square meter in Kosi, 76 in Nisko, 63 in Grohote on Solta and 62 in Stasevica. The Croatian portal Dalmacija Danas reports that Solin got 60 litres per square meter in just one hour. The sources do not say that the 95 litres fell within a specific period, so that figure covers only the time up to 6:30 p.m. Since the storm near Trogir began after 5 p.m., it amounts to roughly an hour and a half, but the sources give no precise timing of the readings.
Where was it worst in Split?
The worst conditions were on stretches of Ulica Domovinskog rata, where the water on the roadway was more than 30 centimeters deep. Poljicka cesta and Ulica Zbora narodne garde were also under water. On Poljicka cesta, cars were trapped in water reaching the height of the sidewalk.
In Split’s Neslanovac district, a torrent lifted the covers off numerous manholes, Croatian media report. Traffic through Split and Solin moved with great difficulty, and drivers were advised to slow down and avoid the deeper flooded sections. Velebitska street was flooded but passable.
What stopped at sea?
The disruption reached the sea as well. According to N1, citing the FoNet agency, the Sumartin-Makarska and Prapratno-Sobra ferry lines stopped, as did the catamaran lines connecting Split with Hvar, Korcula and Dubrovnik. Republika Srpska’s state television, which relays the same Croatian media, says only that traffic was suspended on several ferry, catamaran and ship lines, without naming them.
What does the weather service say?
DHMZ issued an orange warning for Split-Dalmatia County because of heavy rain, valid until 8 p.m., and a yellow warning for rain and thunderstorms until midnight. The Adriatic had been under the influence of a Mediterranean cyclone since morning. The strongest sirocco blew in the morning over the northern Adriatic, and in the late afternoon and early evening over central and southern Dalmatia. A DHMZ station measured an average sirocco speed of 14 meters per second at 6 p.m. The City of Split urged residents to take the warnings seriously.
The sources we reviewed do not say whether anyone was injured or how much damage was done. What is known is that the storm moved from the Trogir area through Split and Solin to Kastela, Podstrana and parts of the Dalmatian Hinterland, and that traffic was hardest hit in Split and Solin. The yellow thunderstorm warning remains in force until midnight, so road conditions and the lines to the islands may still change.
