Bulgarian Climate

The predominant climate in Bulgaria is moderate and transitional continental. Four seasons. Dry and hot summer. Average temperature (April - September): + 23 °C. Cold winter with snowfalls, average temperature: 0 °C. The average yearly temperature is 10.5 °C. A Mediterranean climate, with dry summers and mild, humid winters, prevails in the valley of the southwestern Rhodope Mountains. The northern limits of the climatic zone is the Balkan Range. The average January temperature in Sofia ranges between -4° and 2°. The July temperature ranges between 16° and 27° C. Along the Black Sea, the average January temperature ranges between -1° and 6° C and the July temperature ranges between 19° and 30° C. The soft transitional Mediterranean climate and the fertile soils are very suitable for growing the century-famed Bulgarian attar-yielding rose – a valuable raw material for perfumery, medical products, food and wine, and tobacco industries.

 The rivers rise mainly in the highest mountains and flow into the Black Sea and into the Aegean Sea. Bulgaria has 526 rivers longer than 2.3 km. The only navigable river is the Danube, which lies along the North Bulgarian border. There are good prerequisites for the development of adventure tourism: wild waters – rafting and canoe, diving, hanggliding and paragliding in the river valleys of Vatcha, Iskar, Chepelarska, Struma, and Mesta rivers. There are about 330 natural lakes; the largest are the Black Sea lakes (Alepou, Arkoutino, Pomorie, Beloslav, Bourgas, Varna and the Shabla lakes), the most numerous (over 260) are the high-mountain glacial lakes in the Rila and Pirin mountain ranges. Dams have been built as a part of waterpower systems – Iskar, Arda, Batak Water Power System, Belmeken-Sestrimo, Dospat-Vucha, and a great number of smaller dams.