Varna weather in May

In May, Varna sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 44 mm of rain across 9.3 wet days and about 14.4 hours of daylight. It is the 5th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 20°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Varna's 5th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Varna's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
5th warmest
Overnight low
13°
8th coldest
Rainfall
44 mm
9.3 wet days
Daylight
14 h 30 min
4:50 AM – 7:19 PM
Cloud cover
50%
5th clearest
Wind
12 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
6.04 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.1
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 16°C in the first days to 20°C by the end.

A typical May day in Varna reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 5°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 21°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 5°C cooler than June.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11511
21611
31611
41611
51611
61612
71712
81712
91712
101712
111713
121813
131813
141813
151813
161813
171814
181914
191914
201914
211914
221914
231915
242015
252015
262015
272015
282015
292016
302116
312116

How May really feels in Varna

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.

Varna weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 5th-warmest and 8th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 39%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25842
35842
45842
55842
65842
75842
85842
95842
105941
115941
125941
135941
146040
156040
166139
176139
186139
196238
206238
216238
226238
236238
246337
256337
266337
276337
286436
296436
306436
316436

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Varna gets around 44 mm of rain over 9.3 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 30% and peaks near 33% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
127
228
328
428
529
629
729
829
930
1030
1130
1229
1329
1429
1529
1629
1729
1829
1929
2029
2129
2229
2330
2431
2531
2632
2732
2833
2933
3033
3133

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 60% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
194600
292710
391810
490910
5881110
6871210
7851410
8831610
9811720
10791920
11752230
12732430
13702640
14672850
15643150
16603370
17573580
18543790
195139100
204840120
214541140
224242150
234043170
243844190
253544210
263344220
273144240
283044261
292844271
302643291
312543312

Wind in May

Winds average 12 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 13 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
113light breeze
212light breeze
312light breeze
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812light breeze
1912light breeze
2012light breeze
2112light breeze
2212light breeze
2312light breeze
2412light breeze
2512light breeze
2612light breeze
2712light breeze
2812light breeze
2912light breeze
3012light breeze
3112light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 min at the start of May to 14 h 54 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 5:09 AM to 4:38 AM, and sunset from 7:02 PM to 7:34 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.95:097:02
213.95:087:03
314.05:067:04
414.05:057:05
514.05:047:06
614.15:027:08
714.15:017:09
814.25:007:10
914.24:587:11
1014.34:577:12
1114.34:567:13
1214.34:557:14
1314.44:547:16
1414.44:537:17
1514.44:517:18
1614.54:507:19
1714.54:497:20
1814.54:487:21
1914.64:477:22
2014.64:467:23
2114.64:457:24
2214.74:447:25
2314.74:447:26
2414.74:437:27
2514.84:427:28
2614.84:417:29
2714.84:407:30
2814.94:407:31
2914.94:397:32
3014.94:387:33
3114.94:387:34

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 6.04 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 — May's 6.04 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.7Bright
25.7Bright
35.8Bright
45.8Bright
55.8Bright
65.8Bright
75.9Bright
85.9Bright
95.9Bright
105.9Bright
116.0Bright
126.0Bright
136.0Intense
146.0Intense
156.0Intense
166.1Intense
176.1Intense
186.1Intense
196.1Intense
206.1Intense
216.1Intense
226.2Intense
236.2Intense
246.2Intense
256.2Intense
266.2Intense
276.2Intense
286.2Intense
296.2Intense
306.3Intense
316.3Intense
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Varna?

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
2.2
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Varna for sightseeing.

What to pack for Varna in May

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

In May, Varna sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 13°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 9 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Varna in May

The nearest coast averages about 16°C in May — 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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 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 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
May 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).