Bulgaria Climate
Top 5 Cities: Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, and Ruse
This month in numbers
April 2026 saw Bulgaria's average temperature at 10.3°C, just 0.1°C below the 1961–1990 baseline, ranking as the 45th warmest April in 86 years of records. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with an anomaly of +1.1°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline.
What changed
Looking at the broader picture, the February–April 2026 period in Bulgaria recorded an average temperature of 6.48°C, a notable 1°C above the 1961–1990 baseline, making it the 30th warmest such period in 86 years. This contrasts with the global land temperature for the same three-month period, which ranked as the 2nd warmest on record, with an anomaly of +1.2°C. Bulgaria's latest monthly anomaly places it as the 229th coolest out of 234 regions tracked.
What’s driving change?
Bulgaria experienced several significant weather events during this period. In early February, Code Red warnings were issued for heavy rain in the districts of Kurdhzali and Smolyan, with Code Orange warnings for other areas due to significant precipitation in the Rila-Rhodope region and Central Balkans. Later, on April 19, a violent thunderstorm in the western Balkan Mountains resulted in a lightning strike that caused one fatality and one serious injury. Towards the end of April, Code Orange warnings were again issued for heavy rain across several districts, including Plovdiv and Sofia district. These events highlight the impact of jet stream shifts, which can lead to stalled weather systems and more intense precipitation.
Looking ahead
The latest NOAA Climate Prediction Center outlook indicates a likelihood of above-normal temperatures for Bulgaria in the coming months.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Bulgaria
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) - see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Bulgaria changing?
Bulgaria is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Bulgaria come from?
Climate data for Bulgaria comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Bulgaria climate data cover?
The Bulgaria climate profile covers Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Bulgaria
How often is the Bulgaria climate update refreshed?
The Bulgaria climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.