Sofia weather in December

In December, Sofia sees average daytime highs of 4°C and overnight lows near -3°C, with 45 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 3°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 Sofia's 12th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Sofia's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
-3°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
45 mm
8.6 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
7:57 AM – 4:49 PM
Cloud cover
63%
12th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
1.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.0
out of 10

Sofia is capital city of Bulgaria.

Air quality
Good
PM2.5 8.9 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
2,342/km²
people per km²
Founded
~390 BCE

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 3°C by the end.

A typical December day in Sofia reaches about 4°C in the afternoon and slips back to -3°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -2°C and 9°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 6°C cooler than November and about 1°C warmer than January.

-10°10°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
16-1
26-1
36-1
45-2
55-2
65-2
75-2
85-2
95-2
104-2
114-3
124-3
134-3
144-3
154-3
164-3
173-4
183-4
193-4
203-4
213-4
223-4
233-4
243-4
253-4
263-5
273-5
283-5
293-5
303-5
313-5

How December really feels in Sofia

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.

Sofia 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 / -5°397.65.79.20.0
Feb / -4°397.4610.30.3
Mar10° / -0°5410.55.411.62.1
Apr15° / 5811.41.613.14.2
May19° / 7013.50.114.45.7
Jun23° / 12°6311.7015.16.7
Jul26° / 14°519.7014.87.1
Aug26° / 14°357.2013.77.5
Sep22° / 10°356.5012.37.4
Oct16° / 466.90.710.85.4
Nov / 366.72.49.62.2
Dec / -3°458.65.68.90.0

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 12% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 60%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13862
23862
33961
43862
53961
63961
74060
83961
93961
104060
114060
124060
134258
144258
154258
164258
174258
184258
194159
204159
214159
224159
234159
244159
254159
264159
274060
284060
294060
304060
314159

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Sofia gets around 45 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 28% and peaks near 29% on the wettest days, and about 6 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12912
22913
32913
42913
52914
62914
72915
82815
92816
102816
112817
122818
132818
142719
152719
162720
172720
182720
192721
202721
212721
222821
232821
242721
252721
262721
272721
282721
292721
302721
312720

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 7 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 7 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
167calm
177calm
187calm
197calm
207calm
217calm
227calm
237calm
247calm
257calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

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 7:44 AM to 8:03 AM, and sunset from 4:49 PM to 4:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.17:444:49
29.17:454:49
39.17:464:49
49.07:474:49
59.07:484:48
69.07:494:48
79.07:504:48
89.07:504:48
98.97:514:48
108.97:524:48
118.97:534:48
128.97:544:48
138.97:544:49
148.97:554:49
158.97:564:49
168.97:574:49
178.97:574:49
188.97:584:50
198.97:584:50
208.97:594:50
218.98:004:51
228.98:004:51
238.98:004:52
248.98:014:52
258.98:014:53
268.98:024:53
278.98:024:54
288.98:024:55
298.98:024:55
308.98:034:56
318.98:034:57

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.58 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.58 kWh/m² to a high of 6.24 kWh/m² in July across the year — December's 1.58 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.7Dim
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
251.6Dim
261.6Dim
271.6Dim
281.6Dim
291.6Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Sofia?

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

0.0
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 Sofia.

What to pack for Sofia in December

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

In December, Sofia sees daytime highs around 4°C and nights near -3°C. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Sofia 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 Sofia peaks around July 11 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 highHighModerateLowJul 11UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar4Moderate
Apr8Very high
May7High
Jun9Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low
Location & terrain

Where is Sofia?

Sofia sits at 42.7°N, 23.3°E, 562 m above sea level, in Bulgaria. The nearest listed city is Pernik, 26 km away.

SamokovBotevgradDupnitsaVratsaBerkovitsaKyustendilPanagyurishte

Topography around Sofia

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Sofia has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 97 m around an average of 554 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,775 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,775 m.

The land around Sofia is covered by artificial surfaces (68%) and trees (29%) within 3 km, cropland (33%) and trees (31%) within 16 km, and trees (64%) and grassland (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
97 m
16 km
1,775 m
80 km
2,775 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Pernik 26 km · Samokov 44 km · Botevgrad 45 km · Dupnitsa 51 km · Vratsa 60 km · Berkovitsa 62 km · Kyustendil 69 km · Panagyurishte 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 Sofia (42.6975°, 23.3241°, elevation 562 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).