Samokov snow history

10 years of snow depth, snowfall and conditions at Sofia, Bulgaria · 950m to 2,290m

Over the last 10 seasons Samokov, Bulgaria has averaged 209cm of snowfall, a peak snow depth of 35cm, 2 powder days and 9 bluebird days a year.

Snow history & climate

10-year averages for Samokov

209 cm
Snowfall / season
Nov-May total
35 cm
Peak depth
typical season high
2
Powder days
15cm+ in a day
9
Bluebird days
sun after snow
61
Rain days
1mm+ of rain
11
Skiable days
30cm+ cover

Month by month

Monthly averages

Average snowfall, snow depth, rain, sunshine and day counts by month at Samokov, over the last 10 seasons.
MonthSnowfallAvg depthRainSun/dayTempPowderBluebirdRain days
Jan43 cm15 cm24mm6.4 h0° / -7°0.31.53.9
Feb38 cm13 cm17mm7.6 h2° / -6°0.41.53.6
Mar37 cm7 cm40mm8.2 h5° / -4°0.21.37.5
Apr27 cm2 cm83mm10.1 h9° / 0°0.11.713.4
May2 cm0 cm125mm11.2 h13° / 4°0.10.317.9
Jun0 cm0 cm141mm13.2 h17° / 9°0.00.014.8
Jul0 cm0 cm90mm13.8 h20° / 11°0.00.011.3
Aug0 cm0 cm60mm12.5 h21° / 11°0.00.08.1
Sept0 cm0 cm66mm10.8 h16° / 7°0.00.08.7
Oct10 cm1 cm59mm8.7 h11° / 3°0.30.58.0
Nov17 cm1 cm68mm6.7 h6° / -1°0.30.49.2
Dec45 cm9 cm36mm6.2 h2° / -5°0.62.15.6

Averages across the last 10 seasons. Powder, bluebird and rain columns are the average number of such days per month.

Season by season

SeasonSnowfallPeak depthPowder daysBluebird daysSkiable days
2025/26174 cm19 cm380
2024/25209 cm47 cm5826
2023/24159 cm32 cm243
2022/23leanest149 cm31 cm048
2021/22best310 cm35 cm41419
2020/21221 cm40 cm0137
2019/20252 cm26 cm2120
2018/19184 cm26 cm160
2017/18209 cm38 cm186
2016/17222 cm59 cm21141
How these numbers are calculated
  • Powder day — at least 15cm of new snow in 24 hours.
  • Bluebird day — sunshine for at least 60% of daylight, following at least 10cm of snow over the previous 3 days.
  • Rain day — at least 1mm of rain (not snow) at this elevation.
  • Skiable day — at least 30cm of settled snow on the ground.
  • Snow depth is modelled from Open-Meteo / ERA5 reanalysis at 1620m, not measured at the resort. Use it to compare seasons and resorts; use the resort's own report for today's conditions.

How Samokov compares

Measured against 40 other resorts across 18 countries, each analysed exactly the same way. The line down the middle of each bar is the median.

Snowfall per season
below average
209 cm
Ahead of 30% of resortsMedian 283 cm

Total new snow between November and May.

Peak snow depth
well below average
35 cm
Lowest of every resort we compareMedian 84 cm

How deep the settled base gets at its yearly high.

Powder days
about average
2
Ahead of 43% of resortsMedian 2

Days with 15cm or more of new snow.

Bluebird days
about average
9
Ahead of 48% of resortsMedian 10

Sun and fresh snow on the same day.

Rain days
well above average
61
Drier than 12% of resortsMedian 32

Days with 1mm or more of rain, not snow.

Skiable days
well below average
11
Lowest of every resort we compareMedian 115

Days holding 30cm or more of settled snow.

When to go

These rarely land in the same month, so it is worth deciding which one matters most before you book.

Deepest base
January
15cm average depth
Most new snow
December
45cm and 0.6 powder days
Best bluebird odds
December
2.1 bluebird days, 6.2h sun a day
Wettest month
May
17.9 rain days

Is Samokov a good place to ski or board?

snowfall is on the light sidethe base does not get especially deepit sees more rain than mostthe season is shorter than average

On 10 years of record, Samokov is a mixed picture: snowfall is on the light side, the base does not get especially deep, it sees more rain than most and the season is shorter than average. It can still ski well in a good year — 2021/22 produced 310cm — but the averages argue for flexibility on timing.

Figures are modelled at 1620m from reanalysis data and describe an average year, not a forecast.

Samokov snow record in detail

How much snow does Samokov get?

Samokov averages 209cm of snowfall over a full season, measured from November to May across the last 10 winters. That is below average: more snow than 30% of 40 resorts we have analysed the same way, where the median season brings 283cm.

Season to season the spread is wide. The best of the last 10 winters was 2021/22 with 310cm, and the leanest was 2022/23 with 149cm — a difference of 161cm between a good year and a poor one. The most recent complete season, 2025/26, delivered 174cm.

December is reliably the snowiest month, averaging 45cm and 7 days with fresh snow.

How deep does the snow get at Samokov?

Snowfall totals flatter resorts that lose their snow quickly, so the more useful number is how deep the settled base actually gets. At Samokov the snowpack peaks at an average of 35cm each season. That is well below average, deeper than fewer than every other resort in the set, against a median peak of 84cm.

The base is deepest in January, averaging 15cm through the month and topping out around 27cm in a typical year.

How many powder days does Samokov get?

Counting any day that delivers at least 15cm of new snow, Samokov averages 2 powder days a season. That is about average, more powder days than 43% of 40 resorts we have analysed the same way, where the median is 2 a season.

December has the most, 0.6 on average.

How often does Samokov get bluebird days?

Samokov averages 9 bluebird days a season — days of sunshine for at least 60% of daylight after 10cm or more of fresh snow. That is about average, more than 48% of 40 resorts we have analysed the same way, against a median of 10.

December is the best month for it, averaging 2.1 bluebird days and 6.2 hours of sunshine a day.

Does it rain at Samokov?

At mid-mountain Samokov sees an average of 61 days a season with 1mm or more of rain rather than snow. That is well above average: 88% of the 40 other resorts we have analysed the same way see fewer wet days, against a median of 32.

May is the wettest month of the season, with 17.9 rain days and 125mm on average.

When is the best time to ski or board Samokov, and when does the season end?

For the deepest base, go in January; for the most new snow, December; for fresh snow with sunshine, December.

Comparisons use 40 resorts across 18 countries, each measured over 5 recent seasons at mid-mountain height. Glaciated locations, where the model never melts the snow out, are excluded. Figures for Samokov are taken at 1620m. Corpus last rebuilt 2 September 2026.

Samokov month by month

What to expect in each month of the season, from the same ten-year record. Figures are averages for mid-mountain; a good or poor winter can move them a long way.

Samokov in November

Too early

In November cover at mid-mountain is usually too thin to rely on, averaging 1cm through the month. It brings 17cm of new snow in an average year, with 2 snow days and 0.3 powder days. Average highs are 6°C and lows -1°C, with 6.7 hours of sunshine a day. Rain is a real risk: 9.2 days with rain rather than snow at mid-mountain in an average November.

Samokov in December

Too early

In December cover at mid-mountain is usually too thin to rely on, averaging 9cm through the month. It is the snowiest month of the season, with 45cm of new snow on average, 7 snow days and 0.6 powder days. Average highs are 2°C and lows -5°C, with 6.2 hours of sunshine a day and 2.1 bluebird days, the most of any month. Rain is a real risk: 5.6 days with rain rather than snow at mid-mountain in an average December.

Samokov in January

Best all round

In January the base is down to an average of 15cm, enough on the upper mountain in most years but not something to count on lower down. It is the second-snowiest month of the season, with 43cm of new snow on average, 8 snow days and 0.3 powder days. Average highs are 0°C and lows -7°C, with 6.4 hours of sunshine a day and 1.5 bluebird days. Expect the odd wet day — 3.9 on average at mid-mountain. Taking cover, fresh snow, sunshine and rain together, it is the best all-round month at Samokov.

Samokov in February

Season over

By February the snow at mid-mountain has usually gone, with an average depth of just 13cm. It is the third-snowiest month of the season, with 38cm of new snow on average, 7 snow days and 0.4 powder days. Average highs are 2°C and lows -6°C, with 7.6 hours of sunshine a day and 1.5 bluebird days. Expect the odd wet day — 3.6 on average at mid-mountain.

Samokov in March

Season over

By March the snow at mid-mountain has usually gone, with an average depth of just 7cm. It brings 37cm of new snow in an average year, with 8 snow days and 0.2 powder days. Average highs are 5°C and lows -4°C, with 8.2 hours of sunshine a day and 1.3 bluebird days. Rain is a real risk: 7.5 days with rain rather than snow at mid-mountain in an average March.

Samokov in April

Season over

By April the snow at mid-mountain has usually gone, with an average depth of just 2cm. It brings 27cm of new snow in an average year, with 4 snow days and 0.1 powder days. Average highs are 9°C and lows 0°C, with 10.1 hours of sunshine a day and 1.7 bluebird days. Rain is a real risk: 13.4 days with rain rather than snow at mid-mountain in an average April.

How Samokov compares with nearby resorts

Of Samokov and the 4 nearest resorts with a ten-year record, Samokov ranks last for snowfall, with 209cm a season. Every one of its neighbours gets more.

Malovitsa has the most powder days (4 a season, against 2 here); Malovitsa builds the deepest base (76cm against 35cm); and Malovitsa gets the most bluebird days (26 a season).

Each resort is measured at its own mid-mountain height, so part of any difference is altitude: a resort modelled 500m higher will usually hold more snow. The table shows the height each figure comes from.

Ten-year snow averages for Samokov and the nearest resorts with a record
ResortDistanceMeasured atSnowfallPeak basePowder daysBluebird days
Samokov—1620m209cm35cm29
Borovets8 km1955m336cm67cm316
Sitnyakovo15 km1600m223cm35cm210
Malovitsa22 km2215m465cm76cm426
Kostenets25 km1400m219cm48cm28

Distances are straight-line. Season averages, November to May, over the last ten winters.

More on Samokov

Ski resorts near Samokov

Distances are straight-line, not by road.