EuroVelo 13 - Iron Curtain Trail - part Bulgaria South, stage 3: Smolyan → Dzhebel
On stage 3 (Smolyan → Dzhebel, 114 km) the best month is September: 80% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C, and riding Dzhebel → Smolyan meant an average tailwind of 2.0 km/h (ERA5 2006–2025, 9:00–18:00).
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Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13% | 21% | 87 | 5 °C | 0% | 84% | 9.5 † |
| February | 26% | 22% | 76 | 7 °C | 0% | 70% | 10.6 † |
| March | 43% | 30% | 99 | 10 °C | 0% | 45% | 11.8 |
| April | 57% | 39% | 93 | 15 °C | 0% | 13% | 13.3 |
| May | 54% | 46% | 108 | 19 °C | 0% | 1% | 14.5 |
| June | 50% | 47% | 120 | 24 °C | 4% | 0% | 15.2 |
| July | 57% | 25% | 64 | 27 °C | 19% | 0% | 14.9 |
| August | 65% | 17% | 34 | 27 °C | 18% | 0% | 13.8 |
| September | 80% | 18% | 53 | 23 °C | 2% | 0% | 12.4 |
| October | 77% | 19% | 86 | 17 °C | 0% | 8% | 11.0 |
| November | 53% | 20% | 84 | 11 °C | 0% | 35% | 9.8 † |
| December | 17% | 20% | 97 | 7 °C | 0% | 79% | 9.2 † |
Best months are all months within 3 percentage points of the best one. † less than 11 hours of daylight — long stages get tight.
Wind by month
| Month | Wind Smolyan → Dzhebel, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Smolyan → Dzhebel | Headwind > 15 km/h, Dzhebel → Smolyan | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +0.8 | 1% | 1% | either |
| February | +0.2 | 1% | 1% | either |
| March | −0.2 | 1% | 1% | either |
| April | −1.3 | 1% | 1% | either |
| May | −1.6 | 1% | 0% | either |
| June | −2.1 | 1% | 0% | Dzhebel → Smolyan |
| July | −2.5 | 1% | 0% | Dzhebel → Smolyan |
| August | −3.1 | 1% | 0% | Dzhebel → Smolyan |
| September | −2.0 | 1% | 0% | Dzhebel → Smolyan |
| October | −1.1 | 1% | 0% | either |
| November | +0.1 | 0% | 1% | either |
| December | +0.8 | 1% | 1% | either |
Along the route (sections of about 25 km)
| km | Heading | Tailwind in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|
| 228–254 | SE | +0.1 |
| 254–279 | E | −2.1 |
| 279–304 | SE | −1.0 |
| 304–329 | E | −4.5 |
| 329–342 | NW | −3.2 |
Other stages
- near Novo Selo → Hadzhidimovo 112 km
- Hadzhidimovo → Smolyan 116 km
- Smolyan → Dzhebel 114 km
- Dzhebel → near Ivaylovgrad 114 km
How to read the numbers
Wind is the 10 m wind of a 25-km grid cell, daytime hours 9:00–18:00 local solar time; at saddle height in a sheltered valley it is weaker, on a coast or ridge stronger. A positive value is a tailwind. ERA5 slightly over-counts days with ≥ 1 mm of rain (by about 5–7 percentage points) and underestimates daily highs by 1–2 °C. Good day = less than 1 mm of rain between 9:00 and 18:00 (riding hours, local solar time) and a high between 10 and 30 °C; rain at night or in the evening does not spoil it.