Sofia climate
Sofia (Bulgaria) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 12 °C53 °F, and about 705 mm28 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Sofia climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 439 | −524 | 031 | 512.0 |
| Feb | 643 | −326 | 235 | 451.8 |
| Mar | 1152 | 033 | 642 | 572.3 |
| Apr | 1661 | 541 | 1151 | 572.3 |
| May | 2171 | 1051 | 1661 | 803.2 |
| Jun | 2678 | 1458 | 2068 | 843.3 |
| Jul | 2985 | 1662 | 2373 | 682.7 |
| Aug | 3085 | 1661 | 2373 | 582.3 |
| Sep | 2476 | 1253 | 1864 | 542.1 |
| Oct | 1864 | 644 | 1254 | 572.2 |
| Nov | 1253 | 235 | 744 | 421.7 |
| Dec | 541 | −327 | 134 | 512.0 |
| Year | 3085 | −524 | 1253 | 70528 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 90% | 72% | 1.7 | 9:22 |
| Feb | 85% | 72% | 2.4 | 10:29 |
| Mar | 79% | 71% | 3.4 | 11:48 |
| Apr | 74% | 68% | 4.6 | 13:20 |
| May | 72% | 69% | 5.3 | 14:36 |
| Jun | 67% | 58% | 6.1 | 15:18 |
| Jul | 60% | 45% | 6.3 | 15:01 |
| Aug | 58% | 40% | 5.7 | 13:54 |
| Sep | 63% | 54% | 4.2 | 12:25 |
| Oct | 74% | 59% | 2.9 | 10:58 |
| Nov | 82% | 66% | 1.9 | 9:41 |
| Dec | 88% | 72% | 1.4 | 9:03 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Sofia is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 30 °C85 °F and a low of 16 °C61 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 4 °C39 °F and lows −5 °C24 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 23.5 °C42.2 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 705 mm28 in. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is June (84 mm3.3 in), the driest is November (42 mm1.7 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 58% in August to 90% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 40%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 5 km/h (3 mph) in August to 8 km/h (5 mph) in March. Daylight lasts from about 9.1 hours in December to 15.3 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–March, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 17 cm).
Best time to visit Sofia
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–October: average highs of 18 °C64 °F to 30 °C85 °F with 54 mm2.1 in to 84 mm3.3 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of 4 °C39 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Sofia
- Winter (December–February) — highs 439 to 6 °C43 °F, lows −524 to −3 °C27 °F, about 49 mm1.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack a warm coat, layers and closed shoes and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1152 to 21 °C71 °F, lows 033 to 10 °C51 °F, about 65 mm2.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2678 to 30 °C85 °F, lows 1458 to 16 °C62 °F, about 70 mm2.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1253 to 24 °C76 °F, lows 235 to 12 °C53 °F, about 51 mm2.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
How Sofia compares
Compared with Bucharest, about 296 km to the northeast, Sofia is on average 0.7 °C1.3 °F cooler and receives 15% more precipitation (705 mm28 in vs 615 mm24 in). The difference is largest in June (2.3 °C4.2 °F cooler).
Of the 6 places in Bulgaria covered by World Climates, Sofia is the 6th warmest by annual mean temperature and the wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Bulgaria climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Cherkessk (Russia, Cfa), Piteşti (Romania, Dfa) and Čačak (Serbia, Cfa).
Nearby places
- Plovdiv 132 km · 14 °C58 °F · 661 mm26 in
- Niš 135 km · 13 °C55 °F · 704 mm28 in
- Skopje 174 km · 14 °C57 °F · 831 mm33 in
- Pristina 176 km · 11 °C52 °F · 778 mm31 in
- Craiova 184 km · 12 °C54 °F · 674 mm27 in
- Stara Zagora 192 km · 13 °C56 °F · 659 mm26 in
- Mitrovicë 202 km · 11 °C52 °F · 936 mm37 in
- Prizren 219 km · 13 °C56 °F · 861 mm34 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Sofia?
August is the warmest month in Sofia, with an average high of 30 °C (85 °F) and an average low of 16 °C (61 °F).
What is the coldest month in Sofia?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 4 °C (39 °F) and an average low of -5 °C (24 °F).
When does it rain the most in Sofia?
June is the wettest month with about 84 mm (3.3 in) of precipitation; November is the driest with about 42 mm (1.7 in).
What is the best time to visit Sofia?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May–October.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 835 m, while Sofia lies at about 562 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +1.8 °C3.2 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.