Episode 1, 15 December 1937
Analysis
Description
Meteorological background
In the days leading up to the flood, the Adriatic experienced air pressure around 1010 hPa and predominantly southerly winds. A southwesterly flow prevailed in the upper levels, ahead of a vast trough stretching from the Atlantic to southeastern Europe. As colder air moved south toward the British Isles on 13ā14 December, a surface cyclone intensified over Great Britain, with pressure dropping to 985 hPa. Meanwhile, an upper-level ridge over the eastern Mediterranean maintained surface pressure around 1020 hPa. During the night of 14ā15 December, a new cyclone formed in the Gulf of Lyon, quickly moving to the Tyrrhenian Sea and into the Adriatic by early 15 December, creating a strong air-pressure gradient over the region. On 14 December, a strong SE wind developed, shifting to gale-force SW and W winds by the evening and into the night of 15 December.
Sea-level evolution
On 15 December 1937, at 05:00 UTC, the sea level in Bakar rose to 91 cm above the long-term mean. The SL maximum coincided with the daily tidal peak, with tide contributing 29 cm. Before the main episode, basin-wide oscillations were generated in the Adriatic, but they dampened before the main maximum, leaving synoptic component, primarily driven by a storm surge, to contribute 22 cm to the total maximum. Atmospheric forcing on synoptic scale was brief, producing a weak SL response, less pronounced than a response to planetary-scale forcing or tidal influence.
The remaining sea-level rise resulted from processes acting on other time scales (refer to Figure 1 in the Introduction for detailed explanations). Local processes had a negative impact (-3 cm), long-period sea-level variability added extraordinary 27 cm, and mean sea-level changes contributed 16 cm.
The flood resulted from the combined effects of all processes except local component, with synoptic component contributing unusually little compared to tide and long-period sea-level variability.
Newspaper reports
Two newspapers reported on this event: Obzor and Primorske novine. However, the local newspaper Primorske novine reported almost word for word what was written the day before in Obzor. Here is the report from Obzor.
From our regions
Big storm on the Adriatic
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Split. 16 December. Last night, the storm at sea intensified again and the wind force reached its peak. The wind suddenly shifted to the southwest and at 5:45 a.m. a sudden gust arose, with wind speeds reaching exactly 110 km/h. The most interesting thing is that the wind continued at this speed for a whole 45 minutes, i.e. until 6:30 a.m.. Sailors do not remember such a sudden and strong storm. Waves ten metres high flew over the coast and spilled over onto the buildings on the French coast. The few drivers who were driving along the coast at the time felt like they were driving through a river. The sea even reached the larger square under the monument to Marko MaruliÄ. The shopkeepers under the walls of Diocletian’s Palace suffered great damage from the storm, as their stores were flooded. The ships selling fruit on the Diocletian and Venetian coasts bounced like walnut shells on the raging waves. Outside the harbour, the storm was even worse and the Brac Channel boiled like a cauldron. The storm caused a lot of damage to windows and roofs in the city, while there were otherwise no accidents at sea, according to previous reports from the harbour areas in Split. The steamer ‘Dubrovnik’, which entered the port of Split from Dubrovnik at 5:20 yesterday evening, found a boat in the open sea near the island of Mljet yesterday. The boat is called ‘Jablan’, it is registered in Trsten near Dubrovnik. Only an oar, a pair of shoes and a coat were found inside the boat. A calendar for 1938 was found in a pocket of the coat and in one place Mijo Vidas, Roko RokoviÄ were inscribed. The captain of the steamer “Dubrovnik” immediately informed the harbour master in Split about the find. It cannot be ruled out that this was some kind of accident. Yesterday, the steamers of local shipping companies sailing from Split had to seek shelter in smaller harbours on the island of BraÄ due to the storm. Thus, the steamer ‘Knin’ and the steamer ‘PaÅ”man’ spent the night in Milna and the steamer ‘BraÄ’ in Stomorska and returned to Split this morning.
