Index

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• Introduction
• The seasons
• Inland areas - Plovdiv, Sofia
• The coast - Varna
• Best Time
• What to pack

Introduction

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In Bulgaria, the climate is generally continental, with cold winters and warm or hot summers; it is slightly milder along the coast of the Black Sea, and of course colder in hills and mountains.
The country is exposed to both cold air masses from northern Europe or Russia and warm air masses from the Mediterranean or North Africa; in the south, the Rhodope Mountains, which somewhat separate it from Greece, are able to partly block the southern currents, however, the most intense heat waves can surpass them and then invade the country.
Precipitation in Bulgaria is not abundant because the country is sheltered from the westerlies, which release most of the rainfall over the Adriatic coast. Precipitation usually amounts to around 500/600 millimeters (20/23.5 inches) per year in the plains, but it drops below 500 mm (20 in) in the coastal north-east area (see Varna), which is therefore quite arid. However, precipitation is a bit more abundant in the mountains.
In winter, precipitation is not abundant in the lowlands, but it's quite frequent, and often occurs in the form of snow. The rainiest months are May and June because of thunderstorms, which can occur in the afternoon. These heat tunderstorms are less frequent in coastal areas, while they are more frequent and abundant in mountainous areas. Typically, in August and September it rarely rains, but even October is often a dry month, at least in the plains and in Sofia.

The seasons

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Winter, from December to February, is cold throughout the country. Cold air often stagnates on the plains, with cloudy skies and light snowfalls, but these periods may be interrupted by warm wind invasions from the south, which can raise the temperature to 15 °C (59 °F) and more, and more frequently by of cold air outbreaks from Russia, which can bring strong winds followed by severe frosts.

Spring, from March to May, is not very rainy; however, because of the clash between different air masses, it experiences great changes in temperature, especially in March and April, when the first warm days alternate with others when cold weather comes back, and some late snow showers can occur. Usually, from mid-April or May, temperatures in the plains begin to be mild or warm in a more stable way. In May, in fine weather, afternoon thunderstorms begin to occur.

Summer, from June to August, is warm, or even hot, especially in inland plains: the heat is intense in the lowlands, especially at a distance from the sea. Highs are normally around 30/32 °C (86/90 °F), but hot days, with peaks of 40 °C (104 °F), are not so rare.
In coastal areas, the heat is less intense and tempered by the breeze.

Autumn, from September to November, starts as a mild and pleasant season, with rare rains. In general, there is a fairly sharp turn during the month of October, when colder air masses begin to circulate, but the rains are certainly not as plentiful as on the Mediterranean coast of the Balkan Peninsula, since the country is not directly exposed to western or southern winds.

Inland areas

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In Bulgaria, there are two plains, divided by the chain of the Balkan Mountains (or Stara Planina), stretched from west to east. North of the mountains, in the Danube Plain, separated from Romania by the river of the same name, where cities like Ruse and Pleven are found, the average temperature is around -1°C (30 °F) in January, and 22 °C (72 °F) in July, while south of the Balkans, the Thracian Plain, where cities like Plovdiv and Stara Zagora are found, is slightly warmer, with an average temperature of 1 °C (34 °F) in January, and 23 °C (73 °F) in July. The Danube Plain is more exposed to cold waves because the Balkans partly block the northern winds, so the cold records in the Danube Plain of the past 20 years are around -25 °C (-13 °F), while in the Thracian Plain they hover around -15 °C (5 °F).

Plovdiv

Here are the average temperatures of Plovdiv.

Here is the average precipitation in Plovdiv.

The sun in Bulgaria shines regularly in summer, especially in the plains and along the coast, although clouds may form in the afternoon, which may lead to thunderstorms. In winter, on the other hand, the sun is not very present.
Here are the average daily sunshine hours in Plovdiv.

In the south-west, the valley of the Struma, towards the border with Greece, has a climate a bit milder than the plains: the city of Sandanski has a fairly cold winter, with possible frosts (the January average is 2.5 °C or 36.5 °F), and hot summers (the July average is 24 °C or 75 °F).

Sofia

The capital, Sofia, is located at 550 meters (1,800 ft) of altitude, in a valley, a position that enhances cold air stagnation in winter and in some cases the summer heat as well. The city is located south of the western part of the Balkan range, but in this part the mountains are not very high, so they don't protect much the city from cold air masses; in addition, because of the altitude, the city is often the coldest city of Bulgaria. Here the average in January is -1.5 °C (29.5 °F). In summer, however, Sofia is cooler than the plains because of altitude: the average temperature in July is 20 °C (68 °F), even though sometimes it can be hot, with peaks of 35/37 °C (95/99 °F) from June to August, while nights are almost always cool and pleasant.

The mountainous areas have a cold climate, and the temperatures are similar, at a given altitude, to those of the southern side of the Alps. You can go skiing until the end of March in Borovets and Pamporovo.

The coast

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Since it is influenced by the Black Sea, the narrow coastal strip located in the east is milder than the inland plain. In this area, where cities like Varna, Sunny Beach and Burgas are located, winters are cold but not too much, with average temperatures a few degrees above freezing (but cold waves caused by cold winds of Siberian origin are possible here as well), while summers are warm or even hot, but tempered by sea breezes. In the south-eastern part of Bulgaria, south of Burgas and towards the Turkish border, the climate gets even milder.

Varna

Here is the average temperature of Varna, located in the northern part of the coast.

The Black Sea is acceptable for swimming in summer, especially in July and August, and reaches 24 °C (75 °F) in August, while it's still a little cool in June.

Best Time

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Having a continental climate, Bulgaria may be visited in spring and autumn, from mid-May to mid-June, when it must be put into account some thunderstorms in the afternoon, and from mid-September to mid-October, a bit cooler but also drier. For those who can stand the heat, summer can also be good, remembering that the cities located in inland plains like Plovdiv and Pleven, can be hot in July and August.
In Sofia, the summer heat is slightly cooled by altitude. From May to August, some afternoon thunderstorms can occur, which become gradually less frequent, in fact there are 9 days with some rainfall in May, 8 in June, 7 in July and 6 in August. In July and August, however, sometimes it can get hot during the day. In September, it rains on average only four days, and the temperatures are pleasant.
The Rose Valley, from Karlovo to Kazanlak, is located at about 400 meters (1,300 feet) above sea level, south of the Balkan Mountains, and in the flowering period, from mid-May to mid-June, it has warm days and cool nights, and possible thunderstorms in the afternoon.
The coastal areas of Bulgaria (see Sunny Beach, Golden Sands) can be a pleasant place to stay in summer (July and August) for a beach holiday. Every so often, some showers or thunderstorms can occur in the afternoon, but more rarely than in inland areas. September is still nice and sunny.

What to pack

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In winter: bring warm clothes, such as a sweater, a down jacket, a hat, gloves and a scarf, a raincoat or umbrella.
In summer: bring light clothes, a T-shirt, but also long pants, a light jacket and a sweatshirt for the evening; an umbrella.

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