Winter of 2025 is the coldest in the last six years, according to data of NIMH

The winter of 2025 is relatively warm, but it is the coldest winter in the past six years. It also saw more precipitation compared to the last three winter seasons, according to the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH). The meteorological winter refers to the calendar three-month period from December 1, 2024, to February 28, 2025, the institute said.

December and January were relatively warm, but February was the coldest since 2013 and therefore this winter was the least warm in the past six years, NIMH data show.

The highest recorded temperature was 23.0°C, measured on January 28 in Veliko Tarnovo. The lowest minimum temperature at a station in a populated area was minus 22.5°C on February 22 in the town of Glavinitsa, Silistra district, while the lowest temperature measured on a mountain peak was minus 23.1°C at Musala on February 20.

Seasonal rainfall amounts across most of the country were around or above the climatic norm. This was mainly due to significant rainfall in December, as January and February were relatively dry. Heavy precipitation events during the first and third ten-day periods of December, as well as in the second ten-day period of January and February, were also accompanied by snowfall, according to NIMH.

The heaviest snowfall occurred from December 23 to 27, mainly in the Pre-Balkan region and the northern slopes of the mountains. The heaviest snowfalls occurred from January 12 to 14, mainly in Southern Bulgaria, and again from February 17 to 20, across the entire country. The highest snow cover in a populated area was measured on December 27 in the village of Manastir, Smolyan district, at 115 cm, while on a mountain peak, the snow cover reached 185 cm at Mount Botev on January 13.