Sliven weather in December

In December, Sliven sees average daytime highs of 5°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 63 mm of precipitation across 8.6 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 6°C in the first days to 4°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Sliven's 12th-clearest and 5th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sliven's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
-1°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
63 mm
8.6 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
7:45 AM – 4:37 PM
Cloud cover
63%
12th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
5th windiest
Solar energy
1.43 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.1
out of 10

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

Air quality
Good
PM10 17.8 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
432/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 6°C in the first days to 4°C by the end.

A typical December day in Sliven reaches about 5°C in the afternoon and slips back to -1°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -1°C and 10°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)
171
260
360
460
560
660
750
85-1
95-1
105-1
115-1
125-1
135-1
144-1
154-2
164-2
174-2
184-2
194-2
204-2
214-2
224-2
234-2
244-2
254-2
264-2
274-2
284-2
294-2
304-2
314-3

How December really feels in Sliven

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.

Sliven weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -3°537.75.19.20.0
Feb / -2°5485.110.30.3
Mar10° / 6710.74.311.62.0
Apr15° / 7512.30.913.14.2
May20° / 10°10614.5014.45.7
Jun24° / 14°10014015.16.3
Jul27° / 16°8911.7014.86.7
Aug27° / 16°568013.77.2
Sep22° / 12°587.8012.37.3
Oct16° / 637.80.410.85.4
Nov10° / 587.42.19.62.3
Dec / -1°638.64.58.90.1

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 28% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 59%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23961
33961
43961
53961
64060
74060
84060
94060
104159
114159
124159
134258
144258
154258
164258
174258
184258
194258
204258
214258
224159
234159
244159
254159
264159
274060
284060
294060
304060
313862

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Sliven gets around 63 mm of rain and snow over 8.6 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 27% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days, and about 5 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12911
22911
32912
42812
52812
62812
72812
82812
92813
102813
112814
122714
132714
142715
152715
162615
172615
182616
192716
202716
212716
222717
232717
242717
252717
262717
272817
282818
292818
302718
312718

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 8 km/h in December.

Across December, 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.

0246810151015202531
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 December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 9 h 06 min at the start of December to 8 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 7:32 AM to 7:51 AM, and sunset from 4:37 PM to 4:45 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.17:324:37
29.17:334:37
39.17:344:37
49.07:354:37
59.07:364:36
69.07:374:36
79.07:374:36
89.07:384:36
98.97:394:36
108.97:404:36
118.97:414:36
128.97:424:36
138.97:424:37
148.97:434:37
158.97:444:37
168.97:454:37
178.97:454:37
188.97:464:38
198.97:464:38
208.97:474:39
218.97:474:39
228.97:484:39
238.97:484:40
248.97:494:40
258.97:494:41
268.97:504:42
278.97:504:42
288.97:504:43
298.97:504:43
308.97:514:44
318.97:514:45

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.43 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.43 kWh/m² to a high of 6.45 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.43 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.52151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.5Dim
21.5Dim
31.4Dim
41.4Dim
51.4Dim
61.4Dim
71.4Dim
81.4Dim
91.4Dim
101.4Dim
111.4Dim
121.4Dim
131.4Dim
141.4Dim
151.4Dim
161.4Dim
171.4Dim
181.4Dim
191.4Dim
201.4Dim
211.4Dim
221.4Dim
231.4Dim
241.4Dim
251.4Dim
261.4Dim
271.5Dim
281.5Dim
291.5Dim
301.5Dim
311.5Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Sliven?

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

0.1
Sightseeing
11th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

December is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Sliven.

What to pack for Sliven in December

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

In December, Sliven sees daytime highs around 5°C and nights near -1°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Sliven 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 Sliven peaks around July 17 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.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLowModerateHighVery highHighModerateLowJul 17UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

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

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

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateGoodMar 1916 µg/m³Sep 1910 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan13Moderate
Feb14Moderate
Mar16Moderate
Apr15Moderate
May13Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul12Good
Aug11Good
Sep10Good
Oct10Good
Nov11Good
Dec11Good
Location & terrain

Where is Sliven?

Sliven sits at 42.7°N, 26.3°E, 281 m above sea level, in Bulgaria. The nearest listed city is Yambol, 27 km away.

Nova ZagoraKarnobatStara ZagoraTargovishteGorna OryahovitsaVeliko TarnovoPopovo

Topography around Sliven

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sliven has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 598 m around an average of 351 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,041 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,510 m.

The land around Sliven is covered by trees (43%), artificial surfaces (33%) and grassland (21%) within 3 km, trees (52%) and cropland (29%) within 16 km, and trees (42%) and cropland (40%) within 80 km.

3 km
598 m
16 km
1,041 m
80 km
1,510 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Yambol 27 km · Nova Zagora 34 km · Karnobat 54 km · Stara Zagora 63 km · Targovishte 66 km · Gorna Oryahovitsa 71 km · Veliko Tarnovo 72 km · Popovo 74 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 Sliven (42.6861°, 26.3256°, elevation 281 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).