Varna weather in January

In January, Varna sees average daytime highs of 5°C and overnight lows near 1°C, with 46 mm of precipitation across 7 wet days and about 9.2 hours of daylight. It is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 5°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Varna's 12th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Varna's year-round climate.

Daytime high
12th warmest
Overnight low
1st coldest
Precipitation
46 mm
7 wet days
Daylight
9 h 06 min
7:44 AM – 4:52 PM
Cloud cover
65%
12th clearest
Wind
17 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
1.63 kWh/m²
Travel score
0.1
out of 10

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

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 18.6 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
2,067/km²
people per km²
Founded
~574 BCE

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 5°C through the month.

A typical January day in Varna reaches about 5°C in the afternoon and slips back to 1°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between -0°C and 10°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C cooler than December and about 1°C cooler than February.

-10°-5°10°15°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
162
262
352
451
551
651
751
851
951
1051
1151
1251
1351
1451
1551
1651
1751
1851
1951
2051
2151
2251
2351
2451
2551
2651
2751
2851
2951
3051
3151

How January really feels in Varna

Once humidity and wind are folded in, January 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 January is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Varna weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 12th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan / 4673.29.20.1
Feb / 386.32.510.20.5
Mar / 478.41.611.61.7
Apr13° / 398.30.113.23.6
May18° / 13°449.3014.46.1
Jun23° / 18°499015.17.3
Jul26° / 20°407014.97.7
Aug26° / 21°335.9013.88.0
Sep22° / 17°495.9012.37.6
Oct17° / 12°567.50.110.85.7
Nov12° / 4970.69.53.1
Dec / 508.12.18.90.8

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 27% of the time in January, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 10% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 63%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13961
23961
33862
43862
53961
63862
73862
83862
93763
103763
113763
123763
133763
143664
153664
163664
173763
183664
193664
203664
213664
223664
233664
243664
253664
263763
273763
283862
293961
303961
313961

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitationSnow

Varna gets around 46 mm of rain and snow over 7 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 23% and peaks near 26% on the wettest days, and about 3 days bring snow.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
12611
22511
32511
42411
52311
62311
72211
82111
92110
102010
112010
12199
13199
14199
15209
16209
17219
18219
19229
202210
212310
222310
232410
242410
252410
262510
272510
282511
292511
302511
312411

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of January feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, January 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 January

Winds average 17 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 17 km/h on the calmest days to 18 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
118light breeze
218light breeze
318light breeze
417light breeze
517light breeze
617light breeze
717light breeze
817light breeze
917light breeze
1017light breeze
1117light breeze
1217light breeze
1317light breeze
1417light breeze
1517light breeze
1617light breeze
1717light breeze
1817light breeze
1917light breeze
2017light breeze
2117light breeze
2218light breeze
2318light breeze
2418light breeze
2518light breeze
2618light breeze
2718light breeze
2818light breeze
2918light breeze
3018light breeze
3118light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 8 h 54 min at the start of January to 9 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 7:46 AM to 7:33 AM, and sunset from 4:37 PM to 5:10 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
18.97:464:37
28.97:464:38
38.97:464:39
48.97:464:40
58.97:464:40
68.97:464:41
78.97:464:42
89.07:464:43
99.07:464:44
109.07:464:45
119.07:454:46
129.07:454:47
139.17:454:48
149.17:444:49
159.17:444:51
169.17:444:52
179.27:434:53
189.27:434:54
199.27:424:55
209.27:424:56
219.37:414:58
229.37:404:59
239.37:405:00
249.47:395:01
259.47:385:02
269.47:385:04
279.57:375:05
289.57:365:06
299.57:355:08
309.67:345:09
319.67:335:10

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 1.63 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.34 kWh/m² to a high of 6.56 kWh/m² in July across the year — January's 1.63 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
11.4Dim
21.4Dim
31.4Dim
41.4Dim
51.5Dim
61.5Dim
71.5Dim
81.5Dim
91.5Dim
101.5Dim
111.5Dim
121.6Dim
131.6Dim
141.6Dim
151.6Dim
161.6Dim
171.6Dim
181.6Dim
191.7Dim
201.7Dim
211.7Dim
221.7Dim
231.8Dim
241.8Dim
251.8Dim
261.9Dim
271.9Dim
281.9Dim
291.9Dim
302.0Dim
312.0Moderate
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Varna?

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

0.1
Sightseeing
12th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
9th-best month of the year

January is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Varna.

What to pack for Varna in January

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

In January, Varna sees daytime highs around 5°C and nights near 1°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: a heavy coat. About 7 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coat

Sea temperature near Varna in January

The nearest coast averages about 7°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 20 km away) is warmest in August at about 25°C and coldest in February near 6°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jun 10 to Oct 3 — about 3.8 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°20°30°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmtropicalcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan7Bracing
Feb6Bracing
Mar7Bracing
Apr10Bracing
May16Cool
Jun21Refreshing
Jul24Warm
Aug25Warm
Sep22Refreshing
Oct18Cool
Nov14Bracing
Dec10Bracing

UV index in Varna in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 1. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Varna peaks around July 17 at about 8 (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 8Dec 21UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan1Low
Feb2Low
Mar4Moderate
Apr7Very high
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul8Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct3Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Varna in January

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where January falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Varna is worst in March — around 26 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (December, 13 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Varna's WHO annual average of 18.6 µg/m³.

0102030JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 1925 µg/m³Dec 1414 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan17Moderate
Feb20Moderate
Mar26Moderate
Apr23Moderate
May20Moderate
Jun20Moderate
Jul18Moderate
Aug17Moderate
Sep16Moderate
Oct17Moderate
Nov15Moderate
Dec13Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Varna?

Varna sits at 43.2°N, 27.9°E, 83 m above sea level, in Bulgaria. The nearest listed city is Asparuhovo, 5.0 km away.

DobrichNessebarAytosShumenMangaliaBurgasKarnobat

Topography around Varna

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Varna has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 317 m around an average of 80 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 363 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 726 m.

The land around Varna is covered by artificial surfaces (55%) and trees (28%) within 3 km, trees (33%) and water (30%) within 16 km, and cropland (41%), water (28%) and trees (21%) within 80 km.

3 km
317 m
16 km
363 m
80 km
726 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
January weather nearby: Asparuhovo 5.0 km · Dobrich 39 km · Nessebar 64 km · Aytos 78 km · Shumen 80 km · Mangalia 85 km · Burgas 87 km · Karnobat 98 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 Varna (43.2191°, 27.9102°, elevation 83 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. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. 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).