Gabrovo weather in May

In May, Gabrovo sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 114 mm of rain across 15.6 wet days and about 14.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 21°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Gabrovo's 7th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Gabrovo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
5th warmest
Overnight low
10°
8th coldest
Rainfall
114 mm
15.6 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
5:02 AM – 7:28 PM
Cloud cover
60%
7th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.8 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Gabrovo is city in Gabrovo municipality, Gabrovo oblast, Bulgaria.

Density
206/km²
people per km²
Founded
1477

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 18°C in the first days to 21°C by the end.

A typical May day in Gabrovo reaches about 20°C in the afternoon and slips back to 10°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1188
2188
3188
4199
5199
6199
7199
8199
9199
10199
111910
122010
132010
142010
152010
162010
172010
182010
192010
202011
212011
222111
232111
242111
252111
262111
272111
282111
292112
302112
312212

How May really feels in Gabrovo

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.

Gabrovo 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 / -3°497.95.89.20.0
Feb / -2°518.35.810.20.3
Mar10° / 6911.14.711.62.1
Apr15° / 8013.31.113.14.2
May20° / 10°11415.6014.45.5
Jun24° / 14°10114.4015.16.3
Jul26° / 16°8811.7014.86.8
Aug26° / 16°598.3013.87.3
Sep22° / 12°648012.37.2
Oct16° / 577.70.510.85.4
Nov10° / 517.12.29.52.3
Dec / -2°5995.68.90.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 26% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24753
34753
44654
54654
64654
74654
84654
94555
104753
114753
124654
134654
144753
154654
164555
174654
184654
194555
204654
214753
224753
234852
244852
254852
264852
274951
284951
295050
305050
315149

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Gabrovo gets around 114 mm of rain over 15.6 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 rain averages around 51% and peaks near 55% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
144
244
345
445
546
646
747
848
949
1049
1150
1251
1351
1451
1552
1652
1752
1852
1953
2053
2153
2253
2353
2454
2554
2654
2754
2854
2954
3055
3155

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 81% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19820
29730
39730
49640
59550
69460
79370
89280
99190
1090100
1189110
1287130
1386140
1485150
1583161
1681181
1780191
1879201
1978211
2077221
2175241
2274251
2372262
2471272
2570282
2669292
2767303
2866313
2963334
3061345
3158366

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
276calm
285calm
295calm
305calm
315calm

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 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 5:20 AM to 4:49 AM, and sunset from 7:12 PM to 7:43 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.95:207:12
213.95:197:13
313.95:187:14
414.05:167:15
514.05:157:16
614.15:137:17
714.15:127:18
814.15:117:20
914.25:107:21
1014.25:087:22
1114.35:077:23
1214.35:067:24
1314.35:057:25
1414.45:047:26
1514.45:037:27
1614.45:027:28
1714.55:017:29
1814.55:007:30
1914.54:597:31
2014.64:587:33
2114.64:577:34
2214.64:567:35
2314.74:557:36
2414.74:547:37
2514.74:537:37
2614.84:537:38
2714.84:527:39
2814.84:517:40
2914.84:517:41
3014.94:507:42
3114.94:497:43

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.8 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.48 kWh/m² to a high of 6.33 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.8 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.7Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Gabrovo?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
2.8
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Gabrovo for sightseeing.

What to pack for Gabrovo in May

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

In May, Gabrovo sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 10°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 16 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Gabrovo 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 Gabrovo peaks around July 15 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 21 at about 1 (low).

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

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateVery highVery highHighModerateLowJul 15UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr8Very high
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Gabrovo in May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Gabrovo is worst in March — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (December, 10 µg/m³).

Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodMar 2015 µg/m³Dec 1210 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb13Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul12Moderate
Aug12Good
Sep10Good
Oct10Good
Nov10Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Gabrovo?

Gabrovo sits at 42.9°N, 25.3°E, 536 m above sea level, in Bulgaria. The nearest listed city is Sevlievo, 24 km away.

KazanlakVeliko TarnovoGorna OryahovitsaTroyanKarlovoStara ZagoraLovech

Topography around Gabrovo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Gabrovo has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 402 m around an average of 463 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,283 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,349 m.

The land around Gabrovo is covered by trees (67%) and artificial surfaces (20%) within 3 km, trees (83%) within 16 km, and trees (50%) and cropland (34%) within 80 km.

3 km
402 m
16 km
1,283 m
80 km
2,349 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaces
May weather nearby: Sevlievo 24 km · Kazanlak 29 km · Veliko Tarnovo 34 km · Gorna Oryahovitsa 42 km · Troyan 49 km · Karlovo 50 km · Stara Zagora 56 km · Lovech 57 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 Gabrovo (42.8742°, 25.3182°, elevation 536 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. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).