The weather in Bansko is one of the key things that makes this town in Bulgaria a great year-round destination for those that love the outdoors! From good and sustained snowfall in the winter providing plenty of powder days for skiing in Bansko to warm and dry summers for hiking and exploring the huge Pirin National Park.
I have put together this blog to give you an idea of the annual weather in Bansko to help you plan your trip.
If you are planning a trip out to Bansko then check out my other Bansko-related blogs below to help plan your perfect holiday!
Bansko Weather Forecast
This blog post is about the general weather in Bansko to help you decide when best to plan your trip to visit the town of Bansko.
If you want up-to-the-minute forecasts for Bansko then I would recommend the following websites:
Bansko Weather Report: Accuweather Bansko
Bansko Snow Report: Snow Forecast Bansko
Winter Weather in Bansko
The winter weather in Bansko is perfect for skiing, in my opinion.
The general trend seems to be it is either a blue, sunny sky or it is cloudy and snowing. Generally, it snows less often than in other ski resorts but when it does snow, it snows more than the snow forecast predicts!
So expect lots of ‘bluebird’ days with the sun out and when it is predicted to snow, expect some great powder days! Below is some more detail on the Bansko weather during the winter months.
Winter in Bansko: Average Temperature
Winter in Bansko generally lasts from December until March and these are the best months to go skiing in Bansko. The ski season is usually officially open until the start of April but the weather in Bansko in April is generally warmer and so ski conditions in Bansko are less predictable.
During the winter season, from December to March, the average daily high temperature is 7°C and the average low is -3°C.
Of the winter months, the weather in Bansko is coldest during January with an average high of 2°C and an average low of -5°C.
During our time in Bansko in January and early February, the weather reached -18 at night and it was -8 during the day so be prepared for some brisk days!
Here is a table of the average temperatures during the winter months:
| December | January | February | March | |
| Average High | 3°C | 2°C | 4°C | 8°C |
| Average | 0°C | -2°C | 0°C | 4°C |
| Average Low | -4°C | -5°C | -4°C | – 1°C |
Winter Weather in Bansko: Average Snowfall
As you would expect, the average snowfall in Bansko is highest during the winter months of December to March.
Generally, from my experience and those who live in Bansko, it does not snow that often in Bansko compared with other ski resorts in Europe but when it does it snows much more than is predicted by the snow forecast Bansko.
We have had various occasions during the 2022 ski season where the Bansko snow forecast has predicted light snow of 2 or 3cm and when the snow showers did come we ended up with closer to 15cm!
Historically, January has the most snowfall with an average of 13.5cm during the month. March has the lowest average snowfall in the winter months with 6.3cm during the month but in our experience, and from speaking with people who live in Bansko, in recent times the snowfall in March has been much more than in February.
Coupled with a lot fewer tourists in March, as it is later in the year and fewer school holidays fall during March, it makes March a very good time to go skiing in Bansko.
Here is a table with those averages (although as I say, expect more snow than the forecast predicts!):
| December | January | February | March | |
| Average snowfall | 12.5cm | 13.5cm | 11cm | 6.5cm |
Winter Weather in Bansko: Other Factors
As I said above, when skiing in Bansko during the winter months, expect to see a lot of sun and some very good powder days!
It does snow down in the town of Bansko as well as up in the mountains although it is not snowy in the town for the whole of the winter. If you are going skiing in Bansko then do pack snow boots/waterproof boots as there is a chance there will be snow on the ground in town.
The other thing to keep an eye out for is the wind strength in Bansko. It is rarely windy down in the town of Bansko but the top of the resort can be subject to strong winds. Often if there is a strong wind then the top lifts of Plato and Banderitza 2 will be closed (take a look at my blog describing the Bansko Ski Map for more details of these lifts and runs).
Want to know more about Bansko? Check out my other blogs:
- My Complete Guide to Skiing in Bansko
- Bansko Lift Pass Prices 2022-23
- The Best Bansko Hotels
- The Best Things to do in Bansko in Winter
- The Best Bansko Christmas and New Year Hot Spots
Summer in Bansko
The weather in Bansko in summer is perfect for those that love being active and outdoors. The stunning scenery of the Pirin National Park and the surrounding areas make Bansko a great place to be in the summer.
The best of the summer weather in Bansko is from June to September when, as you would expect, the sun is hottest and the days are the longest!
Summer in Bansko: Average Temperature
The weather in Bansko during the summer is perfect for a landlocked town, in my opinion! It is hot during the day but much cooler during the evening meaning you can sleep comfortably during the night and work on that tan during the day!
The average daily high temperature in Bansko during those summer months is 21°C and an average low of around 10°C.
The warmest of the summer months are July and August with an average high of 25°C.
Here is a table of the average temperatures during the summer months:
| June | July | August | September | |
| Average High | 23°C | 25°C | 25°C | 21°C |
| Average | 17°C | 19°C | 19°C | 15°C |
| Average Low | 11°C | 13°C | 13°C | 9°C |
Summer Weather in Bansko: Average Rainfall
There is not a lot of significant rainfall or precipitation during the summer months as you may expect.
For those of you that love stats, then in fact June is the rainiest month of the year but this is because during the winter the rain falls as snow instead!
There is an average of around 6 days of rain per month during the summer months and an average rainfall of around 3cm of rain per month.
By way of comparison for us Brits (as we love talking about the weather…!), it is comparable to the rainfall in London during the same period which averages 7 days of rain during those months and an average rainfall of 4cm per month. It is much less than Manchester which has 9-10 days of rainfall and an average of 6cm of rain.
Here is a table of the average rainfall for the summer months:
| June | July | August | September | |
| Average rainfall | 4cm | 3.5cm | 3.9cm | 4cm |
Summer Weather in Bansko: Other Factors
As with the winter weather in Bansko, the summer months also see very little cloud cover and so a lot of blue sky days during the summer.
There is also, at least according to the history books, usually less wind in the summer than in the winter. Whilst there is rarely wind in the town of Bansko anyway, there are fewer windy days right at the top of the resort in the summer than in the winter.
Weather in Bansko: Daylight Hours
Bansko, and Bulgaria generally, have the same daylight-saving times as the UK and so the clocks go forward in March and back in October.
During the winter months in Bansko, there is an average of 10 hours of daylight with the sun rising around 8 am and setting between 5 pm in December and 6.30-7 pm in March.
During the summer months, it is light for an average of 14 hours with sunrise at around 6 am and sunset around 9 pm.
Weather in Bansko: Humidity
Generally speaking, there is no humidity during the year in Bankso, whether in winter or the height of summer.
Apparently, humidity comfort levels are calculated by reference to data called the dew point with lower dew points feeling drier and higher dew points feeling more humid or muggy. Accordingly to a dew point analysis, there are no muggy days in Bansko during the year.
In simple terms that means you will have some high temperatures during the summer but without it feeling muggy or humid which is perfect given all the outdoor things to do in Bansko during those months.
Conclusion
The year-round weather in Bansko is a great mix for those that love the outdoors.
The winter is full of snow and sunny days with very little rain or overcast days (except when it is snowing!). Then in the summer, it is hot during the day but a little cooler in the evenings which in my book is the perfect combination!
If you are heading out in the winter then do check out my blogs for skiing in Bansko, information on the various Bansko ski pass options and my description and guide to the Bansko ski map.
Whenever you plan to head to Bansko, take a look at my guide to the Restaurants in Bansko and the Bansko Nightlife which will give you some great food recommendations as well as the lowdown on the best Bansko après-ski bars for the winter and outdoor bars for the summer.
As ever, if you have any questions then do let me know and equally, if you do head to any of these Bansko nightlife hotspots then I’d love to hear what you think!
In the meantime, do please give me a follow on Instagram, Pinterest and/or Facebook to keep up to date with our adventures and to see my future blogs!
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