site.btaAll-time Precipitation Record in Bulgaria Was Registered in 1994 – Expert

The all-time precipitation record in Bulgaria was registered in 1994 in the southeastern town of Ahtopol and was 463 l/sq m. That rainfall continued for close to 24 hours on October 6 and 7, 1994. "This is the absolute record of rainfall in Bulgaria since we have had synoptic observations," Anastasia Stoycheva, head of the Forecasts and Information Service Department at the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH), said in a BTA interview.

The most significant precipitation in Bulgaria is along the Black Sea coast, she.

The second most significant rainfall in the country, which occurred in just one day, was of 342 l/ sq m and occurred in thе Sunny Day resort near Varna on August 21, 1952.

During the September 5 rainstorm in the southeast of the country that killed 4 people and caused severe damage to property and infrastructure, the most significant precipitation was recorded in the villages of Kosti (333 l/sq m), and in Gramatikovo (291 l/sq m). In Ahtopol the rainfall was 264 l/sq m, Stoycheva said.

She explained that the storm was caused by a combined influence of the northeastern periphery of a cyclone whose centre was over Greece. 

The village of Kosti is one of the settlements in Bulgaria that often gets torrential rain and many times the recorded values are unusually high. In August 1975, there was a rain that poured 215 l/sq m in Kosti. On September 2, 1940, a storm threw 211.5 l/ sq m on Gramatikovo.

Rainfall of more than 200 l/sq m has been recorded in various places in Bulgaria over the years

Asked whether the current summer, has been unusual with its wet start in June and very hot and dry July and August, and then torrential rain in September, Stoycheva explained that in meteorological language these are called big contrasts and there are different characteristics of the periods of a season. "We always find such contrasts, but temperate latitude climates are very diverse and it is safe to say that these phenomena that we are all witnessing are becoming more frequent."

However, it should be noted that we are now much better informed about extreme weather events, the forecaster noted. 

In Greece, the amount of precipitation on September 5 reached 754 l/sq m, which beat all records.

She explained that the significant rainfall in Bulgaria and Greece was the result of Cyclone Daniel, and its impact has been ongoing in Greece for four days. This cyclone passed through the Western Balkans and caused torrential rain in Bulgaria and Greece.