Record-breaking heat in Northern Bulgaria, in places the mercury hit over 40 degrees Celsius in the shade

Many areas in Northern Bulgaria experienced dangerous heat on August 13. Thermometers in Rousse, Pleven, Svishtov, Knezha, Novo Selo, Lovech, Montana, Vidin, Oryahovo and Veliko Turnovo showed around and above 40 degrees per Celsius in the shade.

In the rest of the country the temperatures in the afternoon were between 35° and 38°, and between 28° and 32° at the seaside.

At 5 p.m., the temperature in the shade in Montana, North-western Bulgaria, reached a record high of 40.3 degrees, the city's weather station said.

In the afternoon, the streets were empty and outdoor markets had no visitors, the only noise coming from the buildings was the sound of air conditioners running.

Montana Mayor Zlatko Zhivkov urged people not to go out between 14:00 and 17:00 if it is not absolutely necessary. The municipality distributed free mineral water in the city centre, he specified.

Thermometers in Lovech showed 39.6 degrees around 3:30 p.m. this afternoon, the hydrometeorological station said. This is a record high temperature. The previous record for this day was in 1961 when the temperature reached 37.6 degrees per Celsius. August 13 was also the hottest day on record since the start of this summer.