Zadar weather in August
August in Zadar: hot, a little rain — a great time to visit.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#8 of 12 months in Zadar · #828 of 1413 destinations to visit in August · comfort 75/100 (tier B)
- Days
- 32°C
- Nights
- 22°C
- Wet days
- 5
- Sun
- 12.3 h
- Humidity
- 60%
- Daylight
- 14 h

Traveller notes on Zadar in August
Notes from nearby Plitvice Lakes (88 km away)
Zadar doesn't have its own notes for August yet — these are about Plitvice Lakes, close enough to share the season.
Plitvice-forum threads comparing mid-July against late August call the back half of August the somewhat better pick, crowds beginning to thin as the peak European holiday rush eases. Posters describe genuinely surprising morning readings even in August, one visitor reporting a properly cool start around 12 Celsius at the 7am opening before the day warms up considerably. Regulars are consistent an early arrival, ideally right at opening, remains the single best strategy for the narrow boardwalks that otherwise bottleneck badly between late morning and mid-afternoon. Booking timed tickets two to four weeks ahead is standing advice for anyone visiting in peak season. A two-day pass, allowing entry on separate days, is repeatedly recommended as a way to split the visit around the worst crowd windows rather than rushing through once. The record: 24C days feeling like 24C, 14.1C nights, an extraordinarily high 141mm across nearly 13 days and 73 percent humidity.
Other months in Zadar
Forum posters consistently name November as one of Croatia's rainiest months along the coast, with average coastal temperatures around 10C and often strong winds accompanying the rain. Posters are direct that many smaller towns and islands shut down for the season by November, with restaurants and boat tours largely unavailable, but note that larger mainland destinations like Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik stay open and can still offer genuinely nice weather between rain systems. Posters generally recommend sticking to these bigger coastal cities rather than island-hopping in November, since services there remain reliable even as the wider region turns quiet and wet. Posters generally rate November as manageable for visiting Zadar specifically, provided visitors pack for cool, changeable, occasionally windy and wet conditions and skip plans that depend on island infrastructure.
May is a fairly ideal month for the Dalmatian coast on the forum's telling — pleasant temperatures, far fewer tourists — with Zadar near 21°C and good bus connections down to Šibenik and beyond. Two honest caveats. The weather is genuinely unpredictable: one poster describes a week of lovely sun followed by a fortnight of cold and rain, and the record puts May at ten wet days. And the sea is the real catch, about 18°C, which regulars call too cold for comfortable swimming for most people. May here is a sightseeing month, not a swimming one.
Add your own note from Zadar's card on the map.
Zadar climate normals — August
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Zadar in August
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
Peak crowdsNight of the Full Moon, August peak, Summer holidays in Croatia(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Zadar's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Fair weatherZadar's best weather comes in April, May and October — separate windows, not one continuous season.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Zadar in August
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Season
Summer ferry timetable
1 Jun – 30 Sep · usuallySummer season opensThe catamarans to Dugi Otok, Silba and the Kornati run several times a day in summer and drop to one sailing, sometimes none, in winter. Island day trips only really work inside this window.
- Season
Sea warm enough
15 Jun – 5 Oct · usuallyClear and comfortable from mid-June, warmest in August and still fine through September once the coast empties. Swimming here is off rock and concrete more than sand.
- Festival
Night of the Full Moon
6–9 AugLights & fireCrowdedFor a few nights in high summer the waterfront switches off its lights and the quays are lit by candles and torches, with the boats along the Riva selling what the region grows and catches. The dates move between mid-July and August. Source ↗
- Holiday
August peak
15 Jul – 31 AugSchool holidaysCrowdedBook earlyCentral European families and the Kornati charter fleet arrive in the same weeks, and the old town, the ferries and the coast road all run at capacity. Late September is the same sea for less. Source ↗
- Holiday
Assumption Day, 15 August
14–16 AugNational holidayCrowdedClosures15 August, Velika Gospa, is a public holiday at the height of summer. Churches hold processions and masses, many shops close, and it makes one of the busiest weekends of the year on coast roads, ferries and in accommodation, so book crossings ahead. Source ↗
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of Zadar — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is Zadar?
Zadar in August — FAQ
- Is August a good time to visit Zadar?
- August in Zadar: hot, a little rain — a great time to visit. It ranks #8 of 12 months for Zadar on SeasonMap's comfort score (75/100).
- What is the weather like in Zadar in August?
- In August, Zadar averages a daily high of 32°C and a low of 21.9°C, with about 45.4 mm of rain over roughly 5.3 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Zadar in August?
- Zadar has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 52 in August.
Within 300 km: Split's Summer island timetable on 1 Jun – 30 Sep, and Rovinj's Grisia open-air art day around 5–25 Aug.