Bulgaria: April Comes with Weather Surprises, Snow on Election Day

A Mediterranean cyclone will remind Bulgarians of winter on election day. The low atmospheric pressure zone is expected to form along the Adriatic coast at the beginning of the weekend, and on Sunday its center will cross Greece and head for the Black Sea. At the same time, a portion of cold Arctic air will also sweep in from the northwest to the Balkans. This atmospheric configuration in the first days of April will create conditions for a short-term drop in temperatures on Sunday during the day and on Monday morning.

On the day of the vote it will be cloudy and it will rain almost all over the country. Rains will be heavier by noon in southwestern Bulgaria, and over the course of the day will move east. In the afternoon and evening temperatures in the Fore-Balkan and high regions in Western Bulgaria will fall to the critical values, as even at a lower altitude the rain will be mixed with wet snow. In the southwestern mountain ranges and Stara Planina snow cover will form.

According to the European weather forecast model ECMWF, snow cover in some mountainous areas will increase by a 15-20 cm. In the lower areas snow will not be able to stay for long. Snow cover, albeit thin, is still possible in areas such as Dragoman, Gonech, Tran, Dupnitsa, Pernik and Kyustendil.

Wet spring snow is also expected in Sofia region. In the heart of the capital snow cover will melt quickly, but in the higher neighborhoods at the foot of Vitosha Mountain, as well as in the surrounding hills to the west to Pernik, north to Petrohan and east to Vitinja, snowdrifts are possible along with lower temperatures.

Traffic complications can be expected on Sunday afternoon and in the early hours of Monday on the mountain roads and passes in the Western and Central...