A strong, cold wind blowing from the northeast in the Adriatic region is called a bora.
The bora is a katabatic, or downslope, wind. Cold, dense air gathers over the high plateaus and mountains behind the Adriatic coast, especially the Dinaric Alps. Gravity then drives that air downward toward the warmer, lower-pressure Adriatic, where it accelerates through mountain gaps and channels.
The wind is common in winter and affects coastal Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Trieste, and other parts of the eastern Adriatic. It often arrives in powerful, irregular gusts rather than as a steady breeze. The Velebit mountain range is particularly famous for severe bora conditions; gusts there can exceed 200 km/h.
Bora is not interchangeable with every named regional wind. Sirocco is generally a warm wind from the Sahara toward the Mediterranean, while mistral is a cold northwesterly wind affecting southern France and nearby waters. Tramontana is another northerly wind name, but the Adriatic’s characteristic cold, gusty downslope wind is the bora.