Frost warnings, power cuts and weekend football

The National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH) has issued yellow weather warnings for frost across 14 regions in Northern and Southwest Bulgaria, including Sofia, Shumen, Razgrad, Dobrich, Pleven and eight others. The alert runs for Sunday.

Minimum temperatures are forecast to drop to 0°C to 5°C, with western uplands falling to -2°C to -3°C, and Sofia around -1°C. Maximum temperatures will reach 16°C to 21°C, with Northwest Bulgaria seeing 21°C to 24°C and Shumen around 18°C. Mostly sunny conditions are expected in the west, with greater cloud cover in Central and Eastern Bulgaria, where isolated light rain is possible.

A moderate to strong northwesterly wind will blow across much of the country, particularly strong in the east. Citizens are advised to monitor weather forecasts and take precautions for outdoor activities.

Scheduled power cuts will affect several parts of the city of Shumen and nearby villages on 4 and 5 May, as grid operator ESO carries out maintenance and safety work on distribution infrastructure.

In the city, disruptions are planned at Matnitsa pumping station, industrial zones near Alkomet and neighbourhoods on streets including Parva, Peta, Sedma, Treta and Severna. Interruptions will last around 30 minutes in most cases, with longer outages elsewhere.

Outlying villages affected include Ivanski, Dibich, Izagrev, Mogila, Madara, Kyulevcha and Lovets, with supply cut from 08:30 to 17:00 in some areas. Works are also scheduled near Kaspichan and Novi Pazar. Residents are advised to plan ahead for the disruptions.

Sunday will be predominantly sunny, though Central and Eastern Bulgaria will see increased cloud cover and isolated light rain. A moderate to strong northwesterly wind will prevail, with temporarily strong north-northeasterly gusts in Eastern Bulgaria.

Maximum temperatures will range from 16°C to 21°C, with 21°C to 24°C in the northwest and around 18°C in Shumen. Mountain areas will see cloud build-up during the afternoon, with light rain or snow above 2,000 metres. Coastal regions will remain mostly cloudy but largely dry, with sea temperatures of 12°C to 13°C and wave height of 3-4.

The second team of Volov-Shumen 2007 lost 3-2 to Toshev (Praventsi) in a fast-paced match at the Tsonio Vasilev School Stadium on Sunday. The visitors took the lead in the 19th minute through Alper Hamdiev, but Edip Hyuseinov equalised for Shumen shortly after with a deflected strike.

Toshev restored their advantage just before half-time, and Mustafa Reshat added two more goals in the second half, including one in the 83rd minute before being sent off for a second yellow card. Ezis Tezgün pulled one back for Shumen in the 74th minute, but the hosts could not find a late equaliser.

The result leaves Volov-Shumen 2007 II in 6th place in the Central OFG-Shumen XIX Round with 28 points, while Toshev sit 5th on the same tally. Septemvri (Dragoevo) lead the table with 50 points, followed by Chavdar 1926 (Divdyadovo) on 45.