The past few weeks had me crazy with trying to understand the history of Croatia and the time period that my grandfather lived there. There were so many changes in Croatia's history - the kings, empires, wars, and territorial boundaries seemed countless. I couldn’t sort through it easily.
I wanted to understand more about where my grandfather came from, rather than just knowing he came from Croatia. Since I never traveled there, I have used the Internet and learned about Croatia from my living room sofa. My parents and Crnkovich relatives went there in the 1970s to learn about it firsthand, 40 years ago. (See the location of Croatia in Europe in the map below - it is the center orange-colored country, across from northern Italy. Double-click on any of the maps to see a larger view.)
I wanted to understand more about where my grandfather came from, rather than just knowing he came from Croatia. Since I never traveled there, I have used the Internet and learned about Croatia from my living room sofa. My parents and Crnkovich relatives went there in the 1970s to learn about it firsthand, 40 years ago. (See the location of Croatia in Europe in the map below - it is the center orange-colored country, across from northern Italy. Double-click on any of the maps to see a larger view.)
Today, I'm sidestepping the task of writing of Croatian history, and writing instead of a deserving topic, WEATHER. I do mean the kind of weather that is hot or cold, because it was e-x-t-r-e-m-e-l-y cold last Friday in the American town of Hibbing, Minnesota, where my grandfather came to live. According to official weather stations, it was -35° F --that’s below zero!
In national news, another Minnesota city, International Falls was mentioned a lot because it was –46° F. It is about 100 miles north of Hibbing on the U.S. and Canadian border. It is cold everywhere, even where I am in Texas. It was only in the 20s, and that’s cold for Cedar Park, Texas!
In national news, another Minnesota city, International Falls was mentioned a lot because it was –46° F. It is about 100 miles north of Hibbing on the U.S. and Canadian border. It is cold everywhere, even where I am in Texas. It was only in the 20s, and that’s cold for Cedar Park, Texas!
The weather was better, 28° F, in Donji Kosinj, in Croatia, where my grandfather lived. (The ‘j’ in Donji and Kosinj is silent, not pronounced). I can't say for sure how cold it was there, as Donji Kosinj, doesn’t have an official weather station. It is a small population of about 1000. A nearby weather station is in Opcina Brinje. They are about 15 miles apart and at about the same elevation, so their climate is likely to be the same. There is another weather station close by, but it is at a higher elevation, and colder, at only 10° F. (See the map, below. It’s a close view of Brinje, Donji Kosinj, and Baska.)
In January 2010, with an average temperature of 27° F, Donji Kosinj was warmer than Hibbing, which averaged 15° F. In July 2010, Donji Kosinj’s highest temperature was 95° F and Hibbing’s highest temperature was 90° F, so both were hot enough! Both averaged about 70° F degrees in July of last year. The highest temperature ever recorded in Hibbing was 95° F, and the lowest ever was –47° F. Hibbing has been as cold as International Falls! (Highest and lowest figures are those recorded over the 27-year period of 1961-1990, by NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
In January 2010, with an average temperature of 27° F, Donji Kosinj was warmer than Hibbing, which averaged 15° F. In July 2010, Donji Kosinj’s highest temperature was 95° F and Hibbing’s highest temperature was 90° F, so both were hot enough! Both averaged about 70° F degrees in July of last year. The highest temperature ever recorded in Hibbing was 95° F, and the lowest ever was –47° F. Hibbing has been as cold as International Falls! (Highest and lowest figures are those recorded over the 27-year period of 1961-1990, by NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
I found yearly rainfall for Donji Kosinj to be 26 inches in 2009, and 53 inches in 2010. Didn’t find yearly rainfall figures for Hibbing in the same weather tracking site, but found elsewhere that it averages about 26 inches per year. Hibbing has an annual snowfall of 58 inches, but I couldn’t find a number for the Croatian village.
A different comparison is the latitude locations of each area. Donji Kosinj’s latitude location is: 44° 45' 19" N. Hibbing’s latitude is 47° 25’ 38” N. They are only 3 degrees different, or about 225 miles apart. A region’s latitude has an effect on its climate and weather. The temperatures and latitudes of both areas are quite similar, although Hibbing is a bit colder because it’s further north.
Hibbing’s altitude is 1358 feet. Donji Kosinj is higher, at 1558 feet above sea level. Donji Kosinj is about 15 miles inland, off the Adriatic Sea, but, because of the mountainous terrain along the coast, it’s not a 15-mile drive to the lower elevations.
A town on the coastline, Baska, is at an elevation of only 21 feet, and their January average temperature is 40° F. It is part of the Croatian islands in the Adriatic, and offers a Mediterranean climate, which means milder winters and summers. Further down the Dalmatian coast it gets even warmer. The larger Croatian cities of Zagreb in the north, or Dubrovnik in the south, are not anywhere near Donji Kosinj. Zagreb’s January average temperature is 32°F. Dubrovnik’s January average temperature is 45° F, and has less than 7 days all year that are less than 32° F. (See the map below, which includes a view with the Adriatic Sea and coastline. The "star" symbol is where Donji Kosinj is located.)
It appears that my grandfather and his family lived in a similar climate in Europe and America, although different terrains. I doubt that he chose to go to Hibbing because of its similar weather, but maybe because friends and family had gone there before him. I haven’t yet explored the “why” he came to Hibbing. I don’t believe he came here to seek similar work. He worked in iron ore mines as a way of making a living here, but not in Croatia. I think I know what he did in Croatia….saving that for later….
When I learned that John Crnkovich arrived in America in November, my first thought was that he came at a miserable time of the year because of the cold winters in Hibbing. Now I know it was pretty much like his old home town, although I can hope that his first winter in Hibbing was a mild one!
This next weekend, Hibbing celebrates the cold with "Winter Frolic", which began back in the 1920s.
http://www.winterfrolic.com/
A town on the coastline, Baska, is at an elevation of only 21 feet, and their January average temperature is 40° F. It is part of the Croatian islands in the Adriatic, and offers a Mediterranean climate, which means milder winters and summers. Further down the Dalmatian coast it gets even warmer. The larger Croatian cities of Zagreb in the north, or Dubrovnik in the south, are not anywhere near Donji Kosinj. Zagreb’s January average temperature is 32°F. Dubrovnik’s January average temperature is 45° F, and has less than 7 days all year that are less than 32° F. (See the map below, which includes a view with the Adriatic Sea and coastline. The "star" symbol is where Donji Kosinj is located.)
It appears that my grandfather and his family lived in a similar climate in Europe and America, although different terrains. I doubt that he chose to go to Hibbing because of its similar weather, but maybe because friends and family had gone there before him. I haven’t yet explored the “why” he came to Hibbing. I don’t believe he came here to seek similar work. He worked in iron ore mines as a way of making a living here, but not in Croatia. I think I know what he did in Croatia….saving that for later….
When I learned that John Crnkovich arrived in America in November, my first thought was that he came at a miserable time of the year because of the cold winters in Hibbing. Now I know it was pretty much like his old home town, although I can hope that his first winter in Hibbing was a mild one!
This next weekend, Hibbing celebrates the cold with "Winter Frolic", which began back in the 1920s.
http://www.winterfrolic.com/
