Stara Zagora weather in December

In December, Stara Zagora sees average daytime highs of 6°C and overnight lows near -1°C, with 60 mm of precipitation across 8.4 wet days and about 8.9 hours of daylight. It is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 7°C in the first days to 5°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% 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 Stara Zagora's 12th-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Stara Zagora's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11th warmest
Overnight low
-1°
3rd coldest
Precipitation
60 mm
8.4 wet days
Daylight
8 h 54 min
7:46 AM – 4:41 PM
Cloud cover
61%
12th clearest
Wind
6 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
1.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.4
out of 10

Stara Zagora is city in Stara Zagora municipality, Stara Zagora oblast, Bulgaria.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 20.9 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,417/km²
people per km²
Founded
~342 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 7°C in the first days to 5°C by the end.

A typical December day in Stara Zagora reaches about 6°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 0°C and 11°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)
181
281
371
471
571
671
770
870
960
1060
1160
1260
136-1
146-1
156-1
165-1
175-1
185-1
195-1
205-1
215-1
225-1
235-2
245-2
255-2
265-2
275-2
285-2
295-2
305-2
315-2

How December really feels in Stara Zagora

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.

Stara Zagora weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 11th-warmest and 4th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / -2°497.849.20.0
Feb / -1°477.43.210.31.0
Mar11° / 609.52.911.62.9
Apr16° / 60110.613.15.0
May22° / 11°8113.4014.46.1
Jun26° / 15°6812.50156.5
Jul28° / 17°599.5014.86.3
Aug29° / 17°416.7013.76.6
Sep24° / 13°476.9012.37.6
Oct18° / 5770.310.86.1
Nov11° / 5471.49.63.0
Dec / -1°608.43.28.90.4

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14258
24258
34258
44258
54357
64357
74357
84456
94456
104456
114555
124555
134555
144555
154654
164654
174753
184753
194654
204654
214753
224753
234753
244555
254654
264654
274654
284456
294456
304456
314456

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitationSnow

Stara Zagora gets around 60 mm of rain and snow over 8.4 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 28% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1287
2287
3287
4278
5278
6278
7288
8289
9289
10289
112810
122810
132811
142811
152812
162812
172812
182812
192812
202712
212713
222713
232713
242713
252713
262713
272713
282613
292613
302613
312613

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 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 7:34 AM to 7:53 AM, and sunset from 4:41 PM to 4:49 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
19.17:344:41
29.17:354:41
39.17:364:40
49.17:374:40
59.07:374:40
69.07:384:40
79.07:394:40
89.07:404:40
99.07:414:40
109.07:424:40
119.07:434:40
128.97:444:40
138.97:444:40
148.97:454:40
158.97:464:41
168.97:464:41
178.97:474:41
188.97:484:41
198.97:484:42
208.97:494:42
218.97:494:43
228.97:504:43
238.97:504:43
248.97:514:44
258.97:514:45
268.97:514:45
278.97:524:46
288.97:524:46
298.97:524:47
308.97:524:48
318.97:534:49

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 1.49 kWh/m² — the year's lowest.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.49 kWh/m² to a high of 6.49 kWh/m² in June across the year — December's 1.49 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

00.511.522.5151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.5Dim
21.5Dim
31.5Dim
41.5Dim
51.5Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.5Dim
111.5Dim
121.5Dim
131.5Dim
141.5Dim
151.5Dim
161.5Dim
171.5Dim
181.5Dim
191.5Dim
201.5Dim
211.5Dim
221.5Dim
231.5Dim
241.5Dim
251.5Dim
261.5Dim
271.5Dim
281.5Dim
291.5Dim
301.6Dim
311.6Dim
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Stara Zagora?

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

0.4
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 Stara Zagora.

What to pack for Stara Zagora in December

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

In December, Stara Zagora sees daytime highs around 6°C and nights near -1°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat and rain gear. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gear

UV index in Stara Zagora 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 Stara Zagora peaks around July 15 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 highVery highHighModerateLowJul 15UV 9Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr8Very high
May7High
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Moderate
Dec1Low

Air quality in Stara Zagora 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 Stara Zagora is worst in March — around 27 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (December, 16 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Stara Zagora's WHO annual average of 20.9 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 2026 µg/m³Dec 1217 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan22Moderate
Feb22Moderate
Mar27Moderate
Apr25Moderate
May23Moderate
Jun23Moderate
Jul21Moderate
Aug20Moderate
Sep17Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov18Moderate
Dec16Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Stara Zagora?

Stara Zagora sits at 42.4°N, 25.6°E, 205 m above sea level, in Bulgaria. The nearest listed city is Kazanlak, 29 km away.

KazanlakNova ZagoraChirpanDimitrovgradParvomayHaskovoGabrovoRakovski

Topography around Stara Zagora

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Stara Zagora has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 282 m around an average of 235 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 776 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,335 m.

The land around Stara Zagora is covered by artificial surfaces (36%) and trees (34%) within 3 km, trees (42%) and cropland (37%) within 16 km, and trees (42%) and cropland (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
282 m
16 km
776 m
80 km
2,335 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
December weather nearby: Kazanlak 29 km · Nova Zagora 31 km · Chirpan 36 km · Dimitrovgrad 43 km · Parvomay 51 km · Haskovo 56 km · Gabrovo 56 km · Rakovski 58 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 Stara Zagora (42.432°, 25.6426°, elevation 205 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).