Plovdiv weather in December

In December, Plovdiv sees average daytime highs of 7°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 48 mm of precipitation across 7.6 wet days and about 9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 9°C in the first days to 6°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 12 min at the start of December to 9 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Plovdiv's 12th-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Plovdiv's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
-1°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
48 mm
7.6 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
7:49 AM – 4:45 PM
Cloud cover
58%
12th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
1.61 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.8
out of 10

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

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 19 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
3,231/km²
people per km²

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 9°C in the first days to 6°C by the end.

A typical December day in Plovdiv reaches about 7°C in the afternoon and slips back to -1°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 1°C and 12°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 5°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
191
291
391
481
581
680
780
880
980
1070
117-1
127-1
137-1
147-1
157-1
166-1
176-1
186-2
196-2
206-2
216-2
226-2
236-2
246-2
256-2
266-2
276-2
286-2
296-2
306-3
316-3

How December really feels in Plovdiv

Once humidity and wind are folded in, December 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 December is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Plovdiv weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 3rd-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -3°406.63.69.30.4
Feb / -1°4072.910.31.6
Mar13° / 538.82.411.63.7
Apr18° / 468.40.513.15.9
May23° / 11°569.9014.46.9
Jun27° / 15°468.90156.6
Jul30° / 18°396.8014.85.8
Aug30° / 17°244.6013.76.0
Sep25° / 13°425.4012.37.8
Oct19° / 426.30.110.86.6
Nov12° / 385.619.63.6
Dec / -1°487.63.190.8

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 32% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24456
34456
44555
54555
64555
74555
84555
94555
104555
114555
124555
134654
144654
154654
164753
174753
184753
194951
204951
214951
224951
234951
244951
255050
265050
275050
285050
294951
304951
315050

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Plovdiv gets around 48 mm of rain and snow over 7.6 wet days in December. 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 25% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1256
2256
3256
4257
5257
6257
7258
8258
9258
10249
112410
122410
132410
142411
152411
162411
172312
182312
192312
202312
212412
222412
232412
242412
252412
262413
272413
282413
292413
302413
312412

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December 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 December

Winds average 6 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 6 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
286calm
296calm
306calm
316calm

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 12 min at the start of December to 9 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:36 AM to 7:55 AM, and sunset from 4:45 PM to 4:53 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.27:364:45
29.17:374:45
39.17:384:45
49.17:394:45
59.17:404:44
69.17:414:44
79.07:424:44
89.07:434:44
99.07:444:44
109.07:454:44
119.07:454:44
129.07:464:45
139.07:474:45
149.07:484:45
158.97:484:45
168.97:494:45
178.97:504:46
188.97:504:46
198.97:514:46
208.97:514:47
218.97:524:47
228.97:524:48
238.97:534:48
248.97:534:49
258.97:544:49
268.97:544:50
278.97:544:50
288.97:554:51
298.97:554:52
309.07:554:52
319.07:554:53

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.61 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.61 kWh/m² to a high of 6.38 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.61 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.6Dim
21.6Dim
31.6Dim
41.6Dim
51.6Dim
61.6Dim
71.6Dim
81.6Dim
91.6Dim
101.6Dim
111.6Dim
121.6Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.6Dim
201.6Dim
211.6Dim
221.6Dim
231.6Dim
241.6Dim
251.7Dim
261.7Dim
271.7Dim
281.7Dim
291.7Dim
301.7Dim
311.7Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Plovdiv?

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

0.8
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
10th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Plovdiv.

What to pack for Plovdiv in December

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

In December, Plovdiv sees daytime highs around 7°C and nights near -1°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

UV index in Plovdiv in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Plovdiv 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 Plovdiv in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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

Air quality in Plovdiv is worst in March — around 23 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (December, 14 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Plovdiv's WHO annual average of 19 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 2323 µg/m³Dec 1415 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan18Moderate
Feb19Moderate
Mar23Moderate
Apr22Moderate
May22Moderate
Jun23Moderate
Jul20Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct15Moderate
Nov16Moderate
Dec14Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Plovdiv?

Plovdiv sits at 42.2°N, 24.8°E, 163 m above sea level, in Bulgaria. The nearest listed city is Asenovgrad, 18 km away.

PazardzhikParvomayPeshteraChirpanKarlovoPanagyurishte

Topography around Plovdiv

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Plovdiv has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 120 m around an average of 163 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 965 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,490 m.

The land around Plovdiv is covered by artificial surfaces (64%) within 3 km, cropland (56%) within 16 km, and trees (57%) and cropland (24%) within 80 km.

3 km
120 m
16 km
965 m
80 km
2,490 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Asenovgrad 18 km · Rakovski 23 km · Pazardzhik 35 km · Parvomay 39 km · Peshtera 39 km · Chirpan 48 km · Karlovo 53 km · Panagyurishte 60 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 Plovdiv (42.1539°, 24.75°, elevation 163 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).