The weekend opens noisily and ends nicely. In the night from Friday into Saturday 4 July, parts of Central Northern Bulgaria are in line for short but heavy bursts of rain, locally significant in amount; thunderstorms are likely, and the forecast does not rule out hail. The west of the country stays mostly clear, and cloud thins over most of Bulgaria before Saturday is out.
Anyone who has parked a car under a July hailstorm here knows the drill: under cover if you can manage it, and check the bonnet before you curse in the morning.
Saturday: Cooler Air Behind the Rain
A weak to moderate northwesterly wind, turning northerly in the east, feeds slightly cooler air into the country behind the overnight rain. Daytime highs on Saturday sit between 25°C and 30°C, stretching to 32°C or 33°C in the far southwest, with Sofia around 26°C. Atmospheric pressure holds slightly above the July average.
In the mountains, expect building cumulus through the day, with rain confined to isolated spots mainly over the central and eastern massifs. Wind at altitude is moderate to strong from the northwest, and the thermometer reads about 19°C at 1,200 metres and 13°C at 2,000 metres, so a proper layer belongs in the rucksack even in July.
The Coast: a Wet Morning, a Decent Afternoon
The Black Sea coast carries considerable cloud into Saturday morning with rain expected early, easing as the day goes on before skies begin to clear. Wind starts moderate from the north-northwest and swings east-northeast after midday. Coastal highs reach 25°C to 27°C, the sea holds 24°C to 26°C, and the water runs at sea state 2 to 3, so the morning is for the second coffee and the afternoon is for the beach.
Sunday and Monday: Summer, Resumed
Sunday 5 July and Monday 6 July look mostly sunny nationwide. Early hours may bring low cloud or patchy poor visibility across some plains and valleys, and afternoons can stack temporary cloud over eastern and mountainous areas with only isolated, short-lived showers. Highs stay in the 25°C to 30°C range with a moderate northwesterly, shifting north-northeasterly in the east.
For British expats planning the weekend around it, the shape is simple: let Saturday's storm cell pass through the central north overnight, expect a fresher and increasingly bright Saturday, and bank on Sunday and Monday for anything outdoors. Day-by-day conditions for towns across the country are on our live weather page.