Bulgaria records coldest, wettest July since 2019

July 2023 was the coldest and most rainy July in Bulgaria since 2019, according to the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH). Average monthly temperatures across settlements ranged between 18 °C and 26 °C, with deviations from the norm of –1.4 °C to +1.4 °C. The highest temperature recorded was 39.3 °C on 20 July in the village of Pervomay, Blagoevgrad Province, while the lowest minimum was 4.9 °C in Dragoman on 26 July. On Musala peak the temperature fell to –2.6 °C on 23 July. In Sofia the maximum was 33.4 °C (18 July) and the minimum 8.9 °C (24 July).

Rainfall was also exceptional. The largest 24‑hour total was 107.1 mm in Goren Chiflik, Varna Province on 22 July, and another heavy event of 98.4 mm occurred in Dolna Melna, Tŭrn Municipality on 1 July. Sofia’s monthly total reached 59.9 mm (93 % of the norm) with a 31.1 mm 24‑hour peak on 1 July. The month saw several cold fronts, convective storms, hail, localized flooding, and lightning‑induced fires. Sea‑surface temperatures along the Black Sea coast dropped by up to 5 °C in early July. A yellow heat‑wave warning was issued for several regions at the end of July, with another warning for August.