emainder of the Thracian Plain and
the Danubian plateau get less than the country average. Higher
elevations are the most generously watered, in some places receiving
forty inches or more.

Although a low figure of 7.6 inches was recorded in Dobrudzha for one
year and the normal precipitation is marginal, both Dobrudzha and the
Danubian plateau are in the continental climate zone and usually receive
most of their rainfall during crop-growing seasons. The Thracian Plain,
however, has frequent seasons when it is under Mediterranean influences
and, when this is the case, it may experience prolonged summer droughts.
Irrigation is, therefore, necessary for dependable agricultural
production.

A few sheltered pockets in the higher mountains may remain covered with
snow all year, and much of the other higher land remains white well into
springtime. Lower elevations are snow covered an average of twenty-five
to thirty days a year. Average cloudiness is about 55 percent, and
average relative humidity is as high as 70 to 75 percent.

The many valley basins throughout the uplands frequently have
temperature inversions resulting in stagnant air. The Sofia area, for
example, is occasionally troubled by smog. The city's elevation of about
1,800 feet, however, tends to moderate summer temperatures and to
relieve the oppressive quality of the high humidity. It is also
sheltered from the northern European winds by the mountains that ring
the basin. Its temperatures in January average about 29 deg. F, and in
August they average about 70 deg. F. Its rainfall is near the country
average, and the overall result of the several contributing features is
a rather unexpectedly pleasant climate.

The climate of the coast is moderated by the Black Sea, but there are
many windy days and violent local storms during the winter. The area
along the Danube River experiences bitterly cold winters, and sheltered
valleys opening to the south along the Greek and Turkish borders may, in
contrast, be as mild as though they were on the Mediterranean or Aegean
coasts. The so-called Black Wind, a local phenomenon similar to the
African sirocco, consists of hard-blowing, hot, very dry air and wreaks
havoc on crops. It gets its name from the quantities of dust it carries,
which often darken the skies.

Regions in the Rodopi and the higher elevations around Sofia feature sun
and snow in a pleasant combination for about four months a year. Several
places have