The average monthly temperatures in the coming month of October, they are between 10 and 16 degrees Celsius (°C) and have a deviation from the monthly norm between minus 1 and plus 3 °C. October 2024 was cooler than October 2023 and one of the driest in the country since the turn of the century, according to a report by the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH).
The highest measured temperature was 34.2 °C on October 4 in Chirpan, Stara Zagora region. The lowest minimum temperature at a station in a populated place was minus 6 °C on October 21 in Chepelare, Smolyan district, and the lowest temperature measured on a mountain peak was minus 6.9 °C on Mount Musala on October 1 . In Sofia, the highest measured temperature was 27.5 °C on October 4, and the lowest – minus 0.7 °C on October 20.
In most of the country, the monthly precipitation amounts are below the climatic norm – between 0 and 50% of it. There are stations in southern Bulgaria without precipitation, for example Sandanski and Sadovo. Precipitation amounts above 50% are mainly in Northeastern Bulgaria (Krushari, Dobrich region, 120%) and in part of Western Bulgaria. October 2024 has more precipitation than October 2023, but it remains one of the driest Octobers in Bulgaria since the beginning of the century. The largest measured 24-hour amount of precipitation was 44 mm of rain in the district of “Gorna Banya“, Sofia, on October 6.
The first mass frosts are on October 1 and 2 in high valley fields, and in the flat part of the country – on October 18.
During the first half of the month, a series of atmospheric disturbances passed over the country, which led to conditions with more significant increases in cloudiness and precipitation on October 1, 5 - 7, 9 and 11–12.
During most of the days of the second half of October, the weather in the country is determined by a stable baric ridge in height and an anticyclonic baric field in the ground atmospheric layer. Mostly sunny, most days – almost calm or with a very weak wind, only along the Black Sea it is moderate with an eastern component.
In the morning in the plains and around water basins it is misty or with low stratus clouds in places. On October 14 and 15, temperatures are relatively high, but from October 16, with the reversal of the wind from the northeast, they drop and are close to climatic norms. During the last days of the month, the baric crest over the Balkans weakens, the cloudiness is mostly significant, there are also isolated light showers.
State of rivers
In October, the water quantities of the rivers in the country are below the average water thresholds and around the low water thresholds. As a result of rainfall in the periods 5–7 and 10–13 October, short-term increases in river levels were recorded in Bulgaria, more significant on the Iskar River near Novi Iskar, respectively by 102 cm in the first period and by 69 cm in the second. Throughout the month, the Fakiyska river in the area of the village of Zidarovo has dried up.
Agrometeorological conditions
In October, the drought deepened in most of the country and prevented the sowing of winter cereals and the normal course of the initial phases of the vegetation of the sown autumn crops, with the exception of some northeastern regions, for example in the Dobrich agricultural station.
In places in the northwestern regions (Knezha and Bazovets agricultural stations) and in the southern regions (Kyustendil, Sandanski, Plovdiv, Pazardjik and Chirpan agricultural stations) there is no productive moisture in the 50 cm soil layer, and in 100 cm the level of moisture reserves is very low – below 50% of the maximum field moisture content.