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The climate of Pleven is
continental, with cold winters and hot summers.
The city is located in northern Bulgaria, in the Danube plain, an area exposed to cold waves in winter as well as heat waves in summer.
Winter is cold and gray, with snowfalls and frosts, although there are also some quite mild periods. Sometimes fog can form.
During cold spells, which occur every year or so, the temperature drops to -15 °C (5 °F) or below. The coldest record is -27 °C (-16.5 °F), recorded in January 1963. After 2000, the temperature dropped to -22 °C (-7.5 °F) in January 2010.
Summer is hot and sunny, although thunderstorms can sometimes break out in the afternoon.
The city is particularly exposed to heat waves. In the hottest periods, the temperature can reach 38/40 °C (100/104 °F). The record heat is 42.5 °C (108.5 °F), recorded in July 2007. In July 2007 and in July 2012, the average maximum was 35 °C (95 °F).
The
average temperature of the coldest month (January) is of -0.4 °C (31 °F), that of the warmest month (August) is of 24.3 °C (76 °F). Here are the average temperatures.
Pleven - Average temperatures (2003-2012) | Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
|---|
| January | -4.3 | 3.6 | -0.4 | 24 | 38 | 31.4 |
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| February | -3.6 | 5.6 | 1 | 26 | 42 | 33.8 |
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| March | 1.9 | 13.2 | 7.5 | 35 | 56 | 45.6 |
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| April | 6.6 | 19.2 | 12.9 | 44 | 67 | 55.2 |
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| May | 11.7 | 24.5 | 18.1 | 53 | 76 | 64.5 |
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| June | 15.5 | 28.6 | 22 | 60 | 83 | 71.7 |
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| July | 17.3 | 31.2 | 24.2 | 63 | 88 | 75.6 |
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| August | 17 | 31.5 | 24.3 | 63 | 89 | 75.7 |
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| September | 12.1 | 25.7 | 18.9 | 54 | 78 | 66 |
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| October | 6.9 | 18.6 | 12.7 | 44 | 65 | 54.9 |
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| November | 2.7 | 12.4 | 7.5 | 37 | 54 | 45.5 |
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| December | -2.6 | 5.8 | 1.6 | 27 | 42 | 34.9 |
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| Year | 6.8 | 18.4 | 12.55 | 44.3 | 65.1 | 54.5 |
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amounts to 580 millimeters (22.8 inches) per year: so, it is at an intermediate level. It ranges from 35 mm (1.4 in) in the driest months (February, March) to 80 mm (3.1 in) in the wettest (June). Here is the average precipitation.
Pleven - Average precipitation| Month | Millimeters | Inches | Days |
|---|
| January | 40 | 1.6 | |
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| February | 35 | 1.4 | |
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| March | 35 | 1.4 | |
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| April | 50 | 2 | |
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| May | 70 | 2.8 | |
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| June | 80 | 3.1 | |
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| July | 65 | 2.6 | |
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| August | 40 | 1.6 | |
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| September | 40 | 1.6 | |
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| October | 45 | 1.8 | |
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| November | 45 | 1.8 | |
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| December | 40 | 1.6 | |
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| Year | 580 | 22.8 | |
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Best Time
The
best times to visit Pleven are spring and autumn, namely from mid-May to mid-June, a period when some afternoon thunderstorms must be put into account, and from mid-September to mid-October, a period a bit cooler but also drier. In summer, the heat is sometimes bearable, while at other times, especially in July and August, it can be intense.