Bulgaria long weekend weather – sunny and warm before the cold arrives
Bulgaria heads into a long weekend from September 22 to 24, which once again is expected to create traffic congestion at the exits from Sofia, while the weather forecast promises warm and sunny weather throughout the country before a cold spell that will last the remainder of next week.
September 22, a Saturday this year, is Bulgaria’s Independence Day. Because it falls on a weekend, under Bulgarian law, the following Monday is to become a non-working day.
This second long weekend in the month of September remains a popular time for a getaway and Bulgaria’s traffic police KAT has warned of potential congestion at all exits from capital Sofia in the second half of the day on Friday, September 21. KAT said that it would increase its presence at all major exits in large towns.
Motorists were also warned to expect longer waiting times at border checkpoints, in particular those at the Bulgarian-Greek border. To help traffic move faster, a second temporary lane in the Vladaya pass, the main exit from Sofia linking it to the border with Greece, will be opened on the afternoon of September 21.
The weather over the long weekend is expected to be predominantly sunny and warm throughout Bulgaria, with temperatures on Saturday ranging between 25C and 30C. At Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, weather forecasters predict moderate winds, but the seawater temperature remains high at 24C.
On Sunday, temperatures will dip slightly to range between 23 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees, with some cloud cover and the potential for scattered brief rainshowers in the north-east of the country. On Monday, the weather will once again be sunny and daily highs are expected to be between 26C and 31C.
Enjoy it while it lasts, because the weather will change abruptly on Tuesday, the first working day of next week, with heavy clouds blanketing most of the country and daily highs dropping off a cliff to about 17C-21C. Wednesday will likely bring rain that, at higher altitudes like Smolyan in the south of the country, is likely to turn to wet snow and temperatures falling further to 14C-18C.
(Photo: Leah Sawyer)
