Plovdiv weather in May

In May, Plovdiv sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 56 mm of rain across 9.9 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 21°C in the first days to 25°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% 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 Plovdiv's 6th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Plovdiv's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
5th warmest
Overnight low
11°
8th coldest
Rainfall
56 mm
9.9 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
5:06 AM – 7:29 PM
Cloud cover
54%
6th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
5.82 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.9
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 25°C by the end.

A typical May day in Plovdiv reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 11°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 28°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 5°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1219
2219
32110
42110
52210
62210
72210
82210
92211
102211
112211
122311
132311
142311
152311
162312
172312
182312
192312
202412
212412
222412
232412
242413
252413
262413
272413
282413
292513
302513
312513

How May really feels in Plovdiv

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.

Plovdiv 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°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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 23% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 42%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15545
25545
35644
45644
55545
65644
75644
85644
95644
105743
115743
125743
135743
145743
155842
165842
175842
185842
195842
205842
215842
225842
235842
245842
255941
265941
276040
286040
296139
306139
316139

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Plovdiv gets around 56 mm of rain over 9.9 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 32% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
128
228
328
429
529
629
730
830
931
1031
1131
1232
1332
1432
1532
1632
1732
1833
1933
2033
2133
2234
2334
2434
2534
2634
2735
2835
2935
3035
3135

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 72% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19370
29280
39190
490100
589110
688120
787130
884151
983161
1082171
1181181
1279192
1377212
1476222
1575232
1673252
1771263
1870273
1969283
2066304
2165314
2264324
2362335
2461345
2560355
2658366
2756377
2854397
2952408
3051409
31484110

Wind in May

Winds average 7 km/h in May.

Across May, 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
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
97calm
107calm
117calm
127calm
137calm
147calm
157calm
166calm
176calm
186calm
196calm
206calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 5:24 AM to 4:54 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)
113.85:247:12
213.85:237:13
313.95:217:15
413.95:207:16
514.05:197:17
614.05:177:18
714.05:167:19
814.15:157:20
914.15:147:21
1014.25:127:22
1114.25:117:23
1214.25:107:24
1314.35:097:26
1414.35:087:27
1514.35:077:28
1614.45:067:29
1714.45:057:30
1814.45:047:31
1914.55:037:32
2014.55:027:33
2114.55:017:34
2214.65:007:35
2314.64:597:36
2414.64:597:37
2514.74:587:38
2614.74:577:39
2714.74:567:39
2814.74:567:40
2914.84:557:41
3014.84:547:42
3114.84:547:43

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.82 kWh/m².

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 — May's 5.82 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

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
225.9Bright
235.9Bright
245.9Bright
255.9Bright
265.9Bright
276.0Bright
286.0Bright
296.0Bright
306.0Intense
316.0Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Plovdiv?

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

6.9
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.3
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Plovdiv for sightseeing.

What to pack for Plovdiv in May

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

In May, Plovdiv sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: light clothes, rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

light clothesrain gearsun protection

UV index in Plovdiv 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 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 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 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
May 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).