Bansko weather in May

In May, Bansko sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 6°C, with 123 mm of precipitation across 18.1 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 18°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Bansko's 11th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Bansko's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
5th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Precipitation
123 mm
18.1 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
5:12 AM – 7:33 PM
Cloud cover
62%
11th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
5.71 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.3
out of 10

Bansko is city in Bansko municipality, Blagoevgrad oblast, Bulgaria.

Density
62/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 15°C in the first days to 18°C by the end.

A typical May day in Bansko reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 6°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 12°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1154
2154
3154
4154
5154
6155
7165
8165
9165
10165
11165
12165
13166
14176
15176
16176
17176
18176
19176
20176
21176
22177
23177
24187
25187
26187
27187
28187
29187
30187
31187

How May really feels in Bansko

Once humidity and wind are folded in, May averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 0 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
0
wind chill below the day's low

May sits comfortably in between — no days that feel dangerously hot or drop to a hard freeze once humidity and wind are folded in.

Bansko weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -7°759.38.59.30.0
Feb / -6°729.2810.30.0
Mar / -3°9212.67.911.70.8
Apr12° / 9715.8313.12.5
May17° / 12318.10.214.34.3
Jun21° / 11316.50155.6
Jul23° / 11°9411.8014.76.9
Aug23° / 11°7810.9013.77.1
Sep19° / 7010.1012.36.2
Oct14° / 718.70.910.94.3
Nov / -1°778.32.89.61.6
Dec / -5°9410.17.190.0

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 24% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14159
24357
34357
44258
54258
64258
74357
84357
94456
104357
114357
124357
134357
144357
154357
164456
174456
184456
194357
204357
214357
224456
234555
244654
254753
264753
274753
284753
295050
305050
315050

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Bansko gets around 123 mm of rain and snow over 18.1 wet days in May, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 59% and peaks near 60% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1602
2602
3602
4602
5601
6601
7601
8601
9601
10591
11591
12591
13591
14581
15580
16580
17580
18580
19580
20580
21580
22580
23570
24580
25580
26580
27590
28590
29590
30590
31590

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of May feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
11000
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
18991
19991
20991
21991
22991
23991
24991
25991
26991
27991
28991
29991
30991
31991

Wind in May

Winds average 6 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 5 km/h on the calmest days to 6 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
16calm
26calm
36calm
46calm
56calm
66calm
76calm
86calm
96calm
106calm
116calm
126calm
136calm
146calm
156calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
216calm
226calm
236calm
246calm
256calm
266calm
275calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 48 min at the start of May to 14 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 5:30 AM to 5:00 AM, and sunset from 7:17 PM to 7:47 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:307:17
213.85:287:18
313.95:277:19
413.95:267:20
513.95:247:21
614.05:237:22
714.05:227:23
814.15:217:24
914.15:197:26
1014.15:187:27
1114.25:177:28
1214.25:167:29
1314.35:157:30
1414.35:147:31
1514.35:137:32
1614.45:127:33
1714.45:117:34
1814.45:107:35
1914.55:097:36
2014.55:087:37
2114.55:077:38
2214.55:067:39
2314.65:057:40
2414.65:057:41
2514.65:047:42
2614.75:037:43
2714.75:027:44
2814.75:027:44
2914.75:017:45
3014.85:007:46
3114.85:007:47

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.71 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.76 kWh/m² to a high of 6.37 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.71 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.5Bright
25.5Bright
35.5Bright
45.5Bright
55.5Bright
65.5Bright
75.6Bright
85.6Bright
95.6Bright
105.6Bright
115.6Bright
125.7Bright
135.7Bright
145.7Bright
155.7Bright
165.7Bright
175.7Bright
185.7Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Bansko?

Our two travel scores rate May for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

4.3
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
0.9
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Bansko for sightseeing.

What to pack for Bansko in May

From May's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In May, Bansko sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 6°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer and sun protection. About 18 days see rain.

rain geara warm layersun protection

UV index in Bansko in May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Bansko peaks around June 23 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateVery highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 9Dec 22UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr8Very high
May7Very high
Jun10Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec2Low
Location & terrain

Where is Bansko?

Bansko sits at 41.8°N, 23.5°E, 0 m above sea level, in Bulgaria. The nearest listed city is Sandanski, 34 km away.

SandanskiGotse DelchevBlagoevgradVelingradPetrichSamokovDupnitsaDelcevo

Topography around Bansko

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Bansko.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Bansko has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 456 m around an average of 947 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,226 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,870 m.

The land around Bansko is covered by grassland (42%), trees (24%) and cropland (20%) within 3 km, trees (68%) and grassland (23%) within 16 km, and trees (69%) and grassland (20%) within 80 km.

3 km
456 m
16 km
2,226 m
80 km
2,870 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
May weather nearby: Sandanski 34 km · Gotse Delchev 36 km · Blagoevgrad 38 km · Velingrad 47 km · Petrich 54 km · Samokov 56 km · Dupnitsa 57 km · Delcevo 61 km

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.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Bansko (41.8361°, 23.4874°, elevation 0 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).