Pernik weather in January

In January, Pernik sees average daytime highs of 4°C and overnight lows near -4°C, with 40 mm of precipitation across 7.4 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 4°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Pernik's 8th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Pernik's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
-4°
1st coldest
Precipitation
40 mm
7.4 wet days
Daylight
9 h 12 min
8:01 AM – 5:13 PM
Cloud cover
60%
8th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
1.99 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

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

Air quality
High
PM2.5 30.8 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
1,141/km²
people per km²

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 4°C through the month.

A typical January day in Pernik reaches about 4°C in the afternoon and slips back to -4°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -2°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C cooler than December and about 2°C cooler than February.

-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
14-4
24-4
34-4
44-4
54-4
64-4
74-4
84-4
94-4
104-4
114-4
124-4
134-4
144-4
154-4
164-4
174-4
184-4
194-4
204-4
214-4
224-4
234-4
244-4
254-4
264-4
274-4
284-4
294-4
304-4
315-4

How January really feels in Pernik

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 31 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
31
wind chill below the day's low

The story in January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Pernik weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -4°407.45.19.20.0
Feb / -3°407.64.810.30.7
Mar11° / 549.74.211.62.7
Apr16° / 54101.213.14.8
May21° / 5210.50.114.46.4
Jun25° / 13°469.5015.17.1
Jul27° / 15°367.3014.87.3
Aug28° / 15°265.4013.77.5
Sep23° / 11°325.8012.37.7
Oct17° / 476.40.610.86.0
Nov11° / 3972.19.62.7
Dec / -3°498.64.78.90.2

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 56%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24357
34357
44357
54357
64456
74456
84456
94555
104456
114555
124555
134555
144555
154555
164555
174456
184357
194357
204357
214456
224456
234456
244456
254456
264357
274357
284357
294357
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Pernik gets around 40 mm of rain and snow over 7.4 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 24% and peaks near 27% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12516
22516
32416
42315
52315
62215
72215
82114
92114
102014
112014
122014
132014
142014
152114
162114
172215
182316
192416
202417
212517
222618
232618
242619
252719
262719
272719
282719
292719
302619
312619

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January 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 (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in January

Winds average 6 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 6 km/h on the calmest days to 7 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
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 48 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 8:03 AM to 7:51 AM, and sunset from 4:59 PM to 5:31 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.98:034:59
28.98:034:59
38.98:045:00
49.08:045:01
59.08:045:02
69.08:045:03
79.08:035:04
89.08:035:05
99.08:035:06
109.18:035:07
119.18:035:08
129.18:035:09
139.18:025:10
149.18:025:11
159.28:025:12
169.28:015:13
179.28:015:14
189.38:005:15
199.38:005:17
209.37:595:18
219.37:595:19
229.47:585:20
239.47:575:21
249.47:575:22
259.57:565:24
269.57:555:25
279.57:555:26
289.67:545:27
299.67:535:29
309.67:525:30
319.77:515:31

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.99 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.62 kWh/m² to a high of 6.33 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.99 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
21.7Dim
31.7Dim
41.8Dim
51.8Dim
61.8Dim
71.8Dim
81.8Dim
91.9Dim
101.9Dim
111.9Dim
121.9Dim
131.9Dim
141.9Dim
152.0Dim
162.0Dim
172.0Moderate
182.0Moderate
192.0Moderate
202.1Moderate
212.1Moderate
222.1Moderate
232.1Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.4Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Pernik?

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

0.0
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Pernik.

What to pack for Pernik in January

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

In January, Pernik sees daytime highs around 4°C and nights near -4°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Pernik in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Pernik 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
Feb3Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr8Very high
May7Very high
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug9Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Pernik in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Pernik is worst in May — around 38 µg/m³ PM2.5 (poor), about 1.8× the cleanest month (December, 21 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Pernik's WHO annual average of 30.8 µg/m³.

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModeratePoorModerateMay 1838 µg/m³Dec 1821 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan25Moderate
Feb28Moderate
Mar34Moderate
Apr37Poor
May38Poor
Jun37Poor
Jul33Moderate
Aug35Moderate
Sep28Moderate
Oct27Moderate
Nov26Moderate
Dec21Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Pernik?

Pernik sits at 42.6°N, 23.0°E, 751 m above sea level, in Bulgaria. The nearest listed city is Sofia, 26 km away.

DupnitsaKyustendilSamokovBlagoevgradBotevgradBerkovitsaPirot

Topography around Pernik

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Pernik has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 478 m around an average of 794 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,261 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,683 m.

The land around Pernik is covered by trees (47%), grassland (25%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 3 km, trees (38%), grassland (33%) and cropland (24%) within 16 km, and trees (66%) and grassland (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
478 m
16 km
1,261 m
80 km
2,683 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrain
January weather nearby: Sofia 26 km · Dupnitsa 38 km · Kyustendil 45 km · Samokov 52 km · Blagoevgrad 65 km · Botevgrad 71 km · Berkovitsa 72 km · Pirot 72 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 Pernik (42.5967°, 23.0332°, elevation 751 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).