Читать книгу Walking in Bulgaria's National Parks. Pirin, Rila and Central Balkans National Parks онлайн

8 страница из 63

In northern parts of Bulgaria, where a moderate continental climate predominates, the wettest months are May and June, and the driest is February, while in the south, the Mediterranean influence means maximum precipitation tends to be in November and December, and minimum in August and September.

In the lowlands of northern Bulgaria, precipitation regularly falls as snow between December and March, while along the Black Sea coast and the lowlands of southern Bulgaria this tends to be limited to January and February. However, snowfall in these lowland regions usually only results in intermittent cover, because the temperature frequently rises above zero. In the mountains, of course, the situation is very different, and above 2000m snow can last between four and nine months depending on altitude.

The average annual temperature in Bulgaria is between 10°C and 14°C. In the lowlands, January tends to be the coldest month with an average temperature in northern Bulgaria of -1.4°C to -2°C, and in the south between 0°C to 2°C. In the mountains it varies from -2°C to -10°C depending on altitude. Highest average temperatures are in July or August, reaching 21°C to 24°C degrees in the lowlands, but dropping from 16°C to 5°C in the mountains as the altitude increases. Interestingly, however, the lowest temperatures ever recorded in Bulgaria have not been high up in the mountains, but actually in lower-lying basins, which in winter frequently experience dramatic temperature inversions.