Kardzhali weather in May

In May, Kardzhali sees average daytime highs of 20°C and overnight lows near 10°C, with 94 mm of rain across 12.6 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 19°C in the first days to 22°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% 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 Kardzhali's 6th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kardzhali's year-round climate.

Daytime high
20°
5th warmest
Overnight low
10°
8th coldest
Rainfall
94 mm
12.6 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
5:05 AM – 7:25 PM
Cloud cover
55%
6th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.85 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
out of 10

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

Air quality
Good
PM10 28.4 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,433/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 19°C in the first days to 22°C by the end.

A typical May day in Kardzhali 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
3198
4199
5199
6199
7199
8199
9209
102010
112010
122010
132010
142010
152010
162010
172111
182111
192111
202111
212111
222111
232111
242111
252111
262212
272212
282212
292212
302212
312212

How May really feels in Kardzhali

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.

Kardzhali 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°688.55.49.30.0
Feb / -2°669.1510.30.9
Mar11° / 8610.94.211.72.5
Apr16° / 75110.713.14.7
May20° / 10°9412.6014.36.1
Jun25° / 14°8711.10156.9
Jul27° / 16°717.8014.77.4
Aug27° / 16°405.2013.77.7
Sep23° / 12°586.9012.37.6
Oct17° / 738.50.410.95.7
Nov11° / 6881.79.73.0
Dec / -1°849.44.890.5

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% 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 46%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
35248
45248
55248
65248
75248
85347
95347
105347
115446
125347
135446
145446
155545
165446
175446
185446
195446
205446
215446
225446
235545
245644
255644
265644
275743
285743
295842
305842
315842

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Kardzhali gets around 94 mm of rain over 12.6 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 41% and peaks near 46% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
235
336
436
537
637
737
838
938
1038
1139
1239
1339
1439
1540
1640
1740
1841
1941
2042
2142
2243
2343
2444
2545
2645
2746
2846
2946
3046
3146

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 82% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19730
29730
39640
49640
59550
69460
79370
89370
99280
109190
1189110
1288120
1387130
1486140
1585150
1684160
1783170
1881181
1979201
2078211
2177221
2276231
2375241
2473252
2572262
2671272
2769292
2867303
2966313
3064324
3162344

Wind in May

Winds average 8 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 8 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
268calm
278calm
288calm
298calm
308calm
318calm

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 5:23 AM to 4:53 AM, and sunset from 7:09 PM to 7:39 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:237:09
213.85:217:10
313.95:207:11
413.95:197:12
513.95:177:13
614.05:167:14
714.05:157:15
814.15:137:17
914.15:127:18
1014.15:117:19
1114.25:107:20
1214.25:097:21
1314.25:087:22
1414.35:077:23
1514.35:067:24
1614.35:057:25
1714.45:047:26
1814.45:037:27
1914.45:027:28
2014.55:017:29
2114.55:007:30
2214.54:597:31
2314.64:587:32
2414.64:587:33
2514.64:577:34
2614.64:567:35
2714.74:557:35
2814.74:557:36
2914.74:547:37
3014.74:547:38
3114.84:537:39

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.85 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.61 kWh/m² to a high of 6.59 kWh/m² in July across the year — May's 5.85 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.9Bright
205.9Bright
215.9Bright
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
256.0Bright
266.0Bright
276.0Intense
286.0Intense
296.0Intense
306.1Intense
316.1Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Kardzhali?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Kardzhali for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kardzhali in May

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

In May, Kardzhali sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 10°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Kardzhali 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 Kardzhali peaks around June 23 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 highHighModerateLowJun 23UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan2Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr8Very high
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Kardzhali 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 Kardzhali is worst in March — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), and holds fairly steady the rest of the year.

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodMar 2015 µg/m³Sep 2210 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb13Moderate
Mar15Moderate
Apr14Moderate
May14Moderate
Jun14Moderate
Jul12Moderate
Aug12Good
Sep10Good
Oct10Good
Nov11Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Kardzhali?

Kardzhali sits at 41.6°N, 25.4°E, 248 m above sea level, in Bulgaria. The nearest listed city is Haskovo, 36 km away.

HaskovoDimitrovgradParvomayHarmanliSmolyanAsenovgradKomotiníChirpan

Topography around Kardzhali

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kardzhali has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 261 m around an average of 304 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 777 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,174 m.

The land around Kardzhali is covered by trees (43%), grassland (28%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, trees (56%) and grassland (34%) within 16 km, and trees (54%) and cropland (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
261 m
16 km
777 m
80 km
2,174 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Haskovo 36 km · Dimitrovgrad 49 km · Parvomay 52 km · Harmanli 55 km · Smolyan 55 km · Asenovgrad 58 km · Komotiní 59 km · Chirpan 62 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 Kardzhali (41.645°, 25.3658°, elevation 248 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).