Brief review of the climatic fluctuations recorded in Zagreb between 1862 and 1990

Abstract

In reference to the publication Long-term meteorological measurements at Zagreb: 1862 – 1990 (Penzar et al., 1992) the preliminary information on the climatic trends as well as on the comparison of 30-year averages within the whole period of measurements is given. The changes of the mean annual air temperatures observed in Zagreb in the period of more than a hundred years are proved to be similar to the changes of the mean temperature of the Earth as a whole. A rise in temperature is most obvious during the heating season. From the minima and maxima of the mean values of temperature observed in periods of 30 years it follows that the lowest temperatures took place at the end of the 19^th century in all the months except August. In the second and the third quarter of the 20^th century the most clouded summers, autumns and winters were observed, and in the second half and at the end of the 19^th century a period with the largest number of clear days was registered. The middle of the 20^th century was the driest period. It is also evident that the annual values of air pressure and rainfall changed mainly in the opposite direction. The climatic fluctuations in October were most apparent as they were observed on several climatic elements at the same time.