Veliko Tarnovo weather in May

In May, Veliko Tarnovo sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 97 mm of rain across 14 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 19°C in the first days to 22°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% 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 Veliko Tarnovo's 6th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Veliko Tarnovo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
5th warmest
Overnight low
11°
8th coldest
Rainfall
97 mm
14 wet days
Daylight
14 h 30 min
5:00 AM – 7:28 PM
Cloud cover
57%
6th clearest
Wind
7 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
5.79 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Veliko Tarnovo is city in Veliko Tarnovo municipality, Veliko Tarnovo oblast, Bulgaria.

Air quality
Elevated
PM2.5 22.9 µg/m³ · 2019
Density
1,948/km²
people per km²

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 19°C in the first days to 22°C by the end.

A typical May day in Veliko Tarnovo reaches about 21°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 15°C and 26°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 5°C warmer than April and about 4°C cooler than June.

10°20°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1199
2199
3199
4199
5199
6209
72010
82010
92010
102010
112010
122010
132010
142111
152111
162111
172111
182111
192111
202111
212111
222112
232112
242212
252212
262212
272212
282212
292212
302212
312213

How May really feels in Veliko Tarnovo

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.

Veliko Tarnovo 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 / -3°568.96.39.20.0
Feb / -2°548.55.910.20.5
Mar10° / 6811.14.311.62.4
Apr16° / 7211.60.913.14.7
May21° / 11°9714014.45.9
Jun25° / 15°8512.1015.16.6
Jul27° / 16°7910.2014.96.9
Aug27° / 16°506.9013.87.4
Sep23° / 12°647.5012.37.4
Oct17° / 597.80.510.85.6
Nov10° / 567.52.39.52.6
Dec / -2°629.75.88.90.1

Cloud cover in May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 31% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
34951
44951
55050
64951
74951
84951
94951
104951
114951
124951
134852
144852
154951
164852
174951
184951
194852
205050
215050
225050
235050
245050
255149
265248
275248
285347
295446
305446
315545

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Veliko Tarnovo gets around 97 mm of rain over 14 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 45% and peaks near 50% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
138
238
338
439
539
640
741
841
942
1042
1143
1243
1344
1444
1544
1645
1745
1846
1947
2047
2148
2248
2349
2449
2549
2649
2750
2850
2949
3049
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 75% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
19640
29550
39550
49460
59370
69190
790100
889110
986131
1084151
1183161
1281181
1379201
1478211
1576231
1674242
1772262
1870273
1969283
2068293
2166304
2265314
2363325
2463325
2561336
2659347
2759347
2857358
2955369
30533710
31503812

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 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
18calm
28calm
38calm
48calm
58calm
68calm
78calm
88calm
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 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 5:19 AM to 4:47 AM, and sunset from 7:11 PM to 7:42 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.95:197:11
213.95:177:12
314.05:167:13
414.05:147:14
514.05:137:15
614.15:127:16
714.15:107:18
814.25:097:19
914.25:087:20
1014.25:077:21
1114.35:057:22
1214.35:047:23
1314.45:037:24
1414.45:027:25
1514.45:017:27
1614.55:007:28
1714.54:597:29
1814.54:587:30
1914.64:577:31
2014.64:567:32
2114.64:557:33
2214.74:547:34
2314.74:537:35
2414.74:527:36
2514.84:527:37
2614.84:517:38
2714.84:507:39
2814.84:497:40
2914.94:497:41
3014.94:487:41
3114.94:477:42

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 5.79 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.43 kWh/m² to a high of 6.32 kWh/m² in June across the year — May's 5.79 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.6Bright
25.6Bright
35.7Bright
45.7Bright
55.7Bright
65.7Bright
75.7Bright
85.7Bright
95.7Bright
105.8Bright
115.8Bright
125.8Bright
135.8Bright
145.8Bright
155.8Bright
165.8Bright
175.8Bright
185.8Bright
195.8Bright
205.8Bright
215.8Bright
225.8Bright
235.8Bright
245.8Bright
255.8Bright
265.9Bright
275.9Bright
285.9Bright
295.9Bright
306.0Bright
316.0Bright
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Veliko Tarnovo?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
3.4
Beach & pool
5th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Veliko Tarnovo for sightseeing.

What to pack for Veliko Tarnovo in May

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

In May, Veliko Tarnovo sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 11°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

UV index in Veliko Tarnovo 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 Veliko Tarnovo 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
Feb2Moderate
Mar3Moderate
Apr8Very high
May6High
Jun8Very high
Jul9Very high
Aug8Very high
Sep6High
Oct4Moderate
Nov2Low
Dec1Low

Air quality in Veliko Tarnovo 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 Veliko Tarnovo is worst in March — around 29 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (December, 18 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Veliko Tarnovo's WHO annual average of 22.9 µg/m³.

010203040JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecModerateMar 2029 µg/m³Dec 1218 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan24Moderate
Feb24Moderate
Mar29Moderate
Apr27Moderate
May26Moderate
Jun26Moderate
Jul23Moderate
Aug22Moderate
Sep18Moderate
Oct18Moderate
Nov20Moderate
Dec18Moderate
Location & terrain

Where is Veliko Tarnovo?

Veliko Tarnovo sits at 43.1°N, 25.6°E, 207 m above sea level, in Bulgaria. The nearest listed city is Gorna Oryahovitsa, 8.0 km away.

GabrovoSevlievoKazanlakPopovoSvishtovZimniceaSliven

Topography around Veliko Tarnovo

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Veliko Tarnovo has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 288 m around an average of 236 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 652 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,352 m.

The land around Veliko Tarnovo is covered by trees (60%) and artificial surfaces (23%) within 3 km, trees (43%) and cropland (38%) within 16 km, and trees (48%) and cropland (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
288 m
16 km
652 m
80 km
2,352 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
May weather nearby: Gorna Oryahovitsa 8.0 km · Gabrovo 34 km · Sevlievo 43 km · Kazanlak 55 km · Popovo 57 km · Svishtov 64 km · Zimnicea 67 km · Sliven 72 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 Veliko Tarnovo (43.0812°, 25.629°, elevation 207 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).