Bulgaria weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall across Bulgaria, based on 30 years of climate data.

Best: early June to early October

The average temperature in Bulgaria is around 10° across the year, though it swings month to month and from region to region. The figures below show the monthly pattern for Sofia.

Hottest
Aug
26°
Coldest
Jan
-5°
Wettest
May
70 mm
Driest
Sep
35 mm
Annual avg
10°
year-round
Rain / yr
571 mm
108 wet days
Largest city
Sofia
1,153k people
Cities
58
with climate data

Monthly climate (Sofia)

Average highs, lows and rainfall through the year for Sofia, Bulgaria's largest city.

MonthHigh / LowRainfallWet days
Jan / -5°39 mm7.6
Feb / -4°39 mm7.4
Mar10° / -0°54 mm10.5
Apr15° / 58 mm11.4
May19° / 70 mm13.5
Jun23° / 12°63 mm11.7
Jul26° / 14°51 mm9.7
Aug26° / 14°35 mm7.2
Sep22° / 10°35 mm6.5
Oct16° / 46 mm6.9
Nov / 36 mm6.7
Dec / -3°45 mm8.6

Weather across Bulgaria

Climate varies from region to region. Burgas is the warmest of these cities, averaging 14° — about 4° warmer than Sofia, the coolest.

10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecBurgasVarnaPlovdivRuseStara ZagoraSofia
CityThrough the yearAvgWarmestBest month
Sofia
Sofia-Capital
10°20° (Jul)Aug
Plovdiv
Plovdiv
13°24° (Jul)Sep
Varna
Varna
13°23° (Jul)Aug
Burgas
Burgas
14°24° (Jul)Aug
Stara Zagora
Stara Zagora
12°23° (Jul)Sep
Ruse
Ruse
13°24° (Jul)Sep

Climate in Sofia

Full Sofia forecast

Sofia is the largest city in Bulgaria; its cloud cover, humidity, wind and sunshine are typical of the surrounding region.

Clouds and sunshine

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

How often the daytime sky is clear, partly cloudy or overcast through the year.

In Sofia, the average share of the sky covered by clouds shows significant seasonal variation over the course of the year.

The clearer part of the year begins around June 1 and lasts for 4.0 months, ending around October 1. The clearest month is August, when the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 80% of the time on average.

The cloudier part of the year begins around October 2 and lasts for 8.0 months, ending around May 31. The cloudiest month is February, when it is overcast or mostly cloudy 60% of the time.

0%100%10%90%20%80%30%70%40%60%50%50%60%40%70%30%80%20%90%10%100%0%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecAug 16 · 82%Feb 17 · 39%clearmostly clearpartly cloudymostly cloudyovercastcloudierclearercloudier

Humidity comfort

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Share of days at each humidity comfort level, based on the dew point — the measure that tracks how muggy it actually feels.

0%25%50%75%100%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecHumidity comfort

Wind

Average wind speed through the year, banded into plain-language speed zones so a number reads as 'breezy' or 'calm' without knowing the scale.

This is the average sustained wind speed at the standard 10 metres above open ground — the steady flow a weather station reports, not the sharper gusts that come and go, which can run half again as fast. It's the number that says whether a place is generally breezy or calm.

Wind in Sofia is steady company: average speeds sit near 7 km/hcalm — in every month of the year, with no meaningful windy or calm season.

051015JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDeccalmlight breezeMar 18 · 8 km/hAug 1 · 6 km/h
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
Jan7calm
Feb8calm
Mar8calm
Apr8calm
May7calm
Jun7calm
Jul7calm
Aug7calm
Sep7calm
Oct7calm
Nov7calm
Dec7calm

Best time to visit Bulgaria

A 0–10 score combining daytime comfort, chance of rain and cloud cover — the sweet spot runs early June to early October.

0246810JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Solar energy

Average daily shortwave solar energy reaching the ground, banded into brightness zones so the number means something at a glance.

Solar energy is how much sunlight actually reaches the ground each day, measured in kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m²) — the combined effect of how long the sun is up, how high it climbs, and how much cloud gets in the way. It's the raw fuel a solar panel has to work with: for scale, 1 kWh/m² a day is dim and wintry, while 7+ is desert-bright.

Sofia receives about 4.0 kWh/m² a day of solar energy on average — bright — with a clear seasonal swing between 1.6 and 6.3 kWh/m².

The brighter stretch of the year lasts 6.1 months, from around Mar 19 to Sep 21. The brightest month is June, averaging about 6.2 kWh/m² (intense).

The dimmest month is December, down near 1.6 kWh/m² — roughly 74% less than the June peak.

01234567JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecdimmerbrighterdimmerdimmoderatebrightintenseJun 296.3 kWhDec 141.6 kWh

Where is Bulgaria?

Bulgaria sits around 42.7°N, 23.3°E. The marker shows Sofia, its largest city, among 58 cities with climate data here.

Bulgaria travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type C / F
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 23% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$20,328
2025
Happiness
5.7 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
96%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.1
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
9.2
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
High
EF EPI 594
Religion
Christian 65%Muslim 10%none 5%other 0%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Cities in Bulgaria