Bulgaria Climate
Top 5 Cities: Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, and Ruse
This month in numbers
Bulgaria experienced an average April temperature of 10.3°C, which was -0.1°C cooler than the 1961–1990 baseline, ranking 45th of 86 years on record. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April for land temperature on record, with an anomaly of +1.1°C. The three-month period from February to April 2026 saw an average temperature of 6.48°C, a notable +1°C anomaly against the baseline, placing it as the 30th warmest such period in 86 years.
What changed
While April saw near-average temperatures for Bulgaria, the broader February-April period was significantly warmer than usual, with a +1°C anomaly. This contrasts with the global picture, where the same three-month period ranked as the 2nd warmest on record for global land temperatures, indicating a widespread warming trend. Bulgaria's April temperature anomaly of -0.1°C placed it as the 5th coolest country globally for the month.
What’s driving change?
The climate in Bulgaria is influenced by several factors. The () was positive in February, March, and April 2026, with values of 0.68, 2.69, and 1.39 respectively. A typically brings milder, wetter conditions to northern Europe, though its influence on Bulgaria can vary. The ENSO state is currently Neutral, with a +0.11°C anomaly in the Niño 3.4 region for February-April 2026. However, there is a strong forecast for El Niño conditions to emerge during the boreal summer, with a 61% probability for May-July and increasing to 87% by July-September ENSO tracker. In terms of recent weather events, Bulgaria experienced severe weather warnings for heavy rain in early April, particularly in southern and mountainous regions, with some areas receiving significant rainfall. Another severe thunderstorm in the western Balkan Mountains on April 19 resulted in casualties due to lightning. Further heavy rain warnings were issued for several districts at the end of April.
Looking ahead
Seasonal forecasts suggest that land surface temperatures are expected to be above-normal across Europe for the May-June-July season.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
Loading climate data...
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.