Stara Zagora weather in May

In May, Stara Zagora sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 81 mm of rain across 13.4 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 20°C in the first days to 23°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% 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 Stara Zagora's 6th-clearest and 6th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Stara Zagora's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
5th warmest
Overnight low
11°
8th coldest
Rainfall
81 mm
13.4 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
5:01 AM – 7:26 PM
Cloud cover
56%
6th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
6th windiest
Solar energy
5.93 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 20°C in the first days to 23°C by the end.

A typical May day in Stara Zagora reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 10°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 17°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1199
2209
3209
42010
52010
62010
72010
82110
92110
102110
112111
122111
132111
142111
152111
162211
172211
182212
192212
202212
212212
222212
232212
242212
252312
262313
272313
282313
292313
302313
312313

How May really feels in Stara Zagora

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.

Stara Zagora 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 / -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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 25% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 45%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35347
45347
55347
65347
75347
85248
95248
105248
115248
125347
135347
145446
155446
165446
175446
185545
195545
205545
215545
225644
235644
245743
255743
265743
275842
285842
295842
305842
315842

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Stara Zagora gets around 81 mm of rain over 13.4 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 43% and peaks near 49% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
138
239
339
440
540
641
741
842
942
1042
1142
1243
1343
1442
1542
1642
1742
1842
1943
2043
2143
2244
2344
2445
2546
2646
2747
2848
2948
3048
3149

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 71% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19550
29460
39370
49280
59190
690100
788120
887130
985150
1083161
1181181
1279201
1377221
1476231
1573252
1671272
1770282
1867303
1966313
2064324
2162335
2261345
2359356
2457367
2556368
2655378
2753389
28513910
29493911
30474012
31454114

Wind in May

Winds average 7 km/h in May.

Across May, 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 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 5:20 AM to 4:49 AM, and sunset from 7:09 PM to 7:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.85:207:09
213.95:197:10
313.95:177:12
413.95:167:13
514.05:147:14
614.05:137:15
714.15:127:16
814.15:117:17
914.15:097:18
1014.25:087:19
1114.25:077:21
1214.35:067:22
1314.35:057:23
1414.35:047:24
1514.45:037:25
1614.45:017:26
1714.45:007:27
1814.54:597:28
1914.54:597:29
2014.54:587:30
2114.64:577:31
2214.64:567:32
2314.64:557:33
2414.74:547:34
2514.74:537:35
2614.74:537:36
2714.74:527:37
2814.84:517:38
2914.84:517:38
3014.84:507:39
3114.84:497:40

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.93 kWh/m².

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 — May's 5.93 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.7Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.8Bright
85.8Bright
95.8Bright
105.9Bright
115.9Bright
125.9Bright
135.9Bright
145.9Bright
155.9Bright
165.9Bright
175.9Bright
186.0Bright
196.0Bright
206.0Bright
216.0Bright
226.0Bright
236.0Intense
246.0Intense
256.0Intense
266.0Intense
276.1Intense
286.1Intense
296.1Intense
306.1Intense
316.2Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Stara Zagora?

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

6.1
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Stara Zagora for sightseeing.

What to pack for Stara Zagora in May

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

In May, Stara Zagora sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 13 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Stara Zagora 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 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 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 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
May 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).