SmogRank / Episodes / North Macedonia

North Macedonia, Bulgaria and 2 more countries, December 2025

For 3 days, from 21 to 23 December 2025, 9 cities in North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Montenegro and 1 more countries had PM2.5 at least twice their usual for the time of year. The worst reading was Strumica, Strumica, North Macedonia: 107.5 µg/m³ on 23 December, about 2.1× its usual 51.3. Ended 23 December.

No cause namedWe have no fire or smoke records for these days, so we only say what the measurements show.
Cities reached9in 4 countries
Days321 to 23 December 2025
Worst day23 December6 cities counted
Furthest above usual3.0×Ohrid

Day by day

23 December 6 cities at twice their usual or more
SkopjeKumanovoGostivarVelesPrilepKochaniKavadarciBijelo PoljePljevljaKozániBarCalafatGrevenáNikšićThessaloníkiPylaíaBelgradeCraiovaSarajevoSevlievoGabrovoTravnikHaskovoPiteştiBanja LukaRuseBragadiruBufteaJilavaBucharestOtopeniPopeşti-LeordeniBaloteştiVoluntariCernicaBihaćGevgelijaPodgoricaStrumicaIlindenDimitrovgradSofiaBitolaLivnoOhrid
18 Dec1920212223242526
Every measured city in the area, coloured by its PM2.5 that day; a dark ring marks a city at twice its usual or more. Bars: cities counted each day, coloured by their median level. Choose a day or press play; without JavaScript, the days link to that day's world ranking.

How it spread

StrumicaStrumica, 18 December: 128.0 µg/m³Strumica, 19 December: 116.0 µg/m³Strumica, 20 December: 116.0 µg/m³Strumica, 21 December: 106.0 µg/m³, 2.2× its usual 47.5Strumica, 22 December: 78.3 µg/m³Strumica, 23 December: 107.5 µg/m³, 2.1× its usual 51.3Strumica, 24 December: 102.0 µg/m³Strumica, 25 December: no readingStrumica, 26 December: 15.6 µg/m³BitolaBitola, 18 December: 105.0 µg/m³Bitola, 19 December: 83.5 µg/m³Bitola, 20 December: 117.0 µg/m³Bitola, 21 December: 105.0 µg/m³, 2.6× its usual 40.8Bitola, 22 December: 85.9 µg/m³, 2.1× its usual 40.4Bitola, 23 December: 56.5 µg/m³Bitola, 24 December: 57.4 µg/m³Bitola, 25 December: 35.6 µg/m³Bitola, 26 December: 28.9 µg/m³OhridOhrid, 18 December: 82.5 µg/m³Ohrid, 19 December: 62.6 µg/m³Ohrid, 20 December: 70.6 µg/m³Ohrid, 21 December: 78.3 µg/m³, 2.5× its usual 31.9Ohrid, 22 December: 96.0 µg/m³, 3.0× its usual 31.9Ohrid, 23 December: 64.0 µg/m³, 2.2× its usual 29.0Ohrid, 24 December: 32.6 µg/m³Ohrid, 25 December: 21.7 µg/m³Ohrid, 26 December: 17.5 µg/m³DimitrovgradDimitrovgrad, 18 December: 63.1 µg/m³Dimitrovgrad, 19 December: 55.3 µg/m³Dimitrovgrad, 20 December: 34.2 µg/m³Dimitrovgrad, 21 December: 45.5 µg/m³, 2.4× its usual 19.2Dimitrovgrad, 22 December: 27.9 µg/m³Dimitrovgrad, 23 December: 22.3 µg/m³Dimitrovgrad, 24 December: 23.6 µg/m³Dimitrovgrad, 25 December: 2.5 µg/m³Dimitrovgrad, 26 December: 13.9 µg/m³SofiaSofia, 18 December: 42.7 µg/m³Sofia, 19 December: 43.4 µg/m³Sofia, 20 December: 23.4 µg/m³Sofia, 21 December: 25.5 µg/m³, 2.5× its usual 10.2Sofia, 22 December: 24.0 µg/m³Sofia, 23 December: 18.8 µg/m³Sofia, 24 December: 11.5 µg/m³Sofia, 25 December: 8.6 µg/m³Sofia, 26 December: 9.9 µg/m³PodgoricaPodgorica, 18 December: 114.0 µg/m³Podgorica, 19 December: 95.3 µg/m³Podgorica, 20 December: 77.8 µg/m³Podgorica, 21 December: 67.0 µg/m³Podgorica, 22 December: 73.0 µg/m³, 2.0× its usual 35.8Podgorica, 23 December: 78.1 µg/m³, 2.1× its usual 37.0Podgorica, 24 December: 50.4 µg/m³Podgorica, 25 December: 61.0 µg/m³Podgorica, 26 December: 74.6 µg/m³LivnoLivno, 18 December: 25.1 µg/m³Livno, 19 December: 26.6 µg/m³Livno, 20 December: 31.4 µg/m³Livno, 21 December: 27.7 µg/m³Livno, 22 December: 42.8 µg/m³, 2.3× its usual 18.8Livno, 23 December: 75.3 µg/m³, 3.0× its usual 25.0Livno, 24 December: 15.6 µg/m³Livno, 25 December: 14.7 µg/m³Livno, 26 December: 17.7 µg/m³IlindenIlinden, 18 December: 96.9 µg/m³Ilinden, 19 December: 93.9 µg/m³Ilinden, 20 December: 61.3 µg/m³Ilinden, 21 December: 51.0 µg/m³Ilinden, 22 December: 42.3 µg/m³Ilinden, 23 December: 84.0 µg/m³, 2.3× its usual 37.3Ilinden, 24 December: 63.0 µg/m³Ilinden, 25 December: 13.1 µg/m³Ilinden, 26 December: 15.8 µg/m³GevgelijaGevgelija, 18 December: 44.9 µg/m³Gevgelija, 19 December: 42.1 µg/m³Gevgelija, 20 December: 59.4 µg/m³Gevgelija, 21 December: 54.0 µg/m³Gevgelija, 22 December: 42.4 µg/m³Gevgelija, 23 December: 72.9 µg/m³, 2.1× its usual 34.6Gevgelija, 24 December: 38.7 µg/m³Gevgelija, 25 December: 19.9 µg/m³Gevgelija, 26 December: 16.0 µg/m³18 Dec1920212223242526
Every counted city, in the order the episode reached them, 3 days before to 3 after. Each square is a day, coloured by that day's PM2.5; outlined: at twice the city's usual or more.
Good0–50
Moderate51–100
Sensitive groups101–150
Unhealthy151–200
Very unhealthy201–300
Hazardous301+

Every city it reached

CityDaysHighestUsualAbove usual
OhridOhrid, North Macedonia3 96.022 December31.93.0×
LivnoFederation of B&H, Bosnia and Herzegovina2 75.323 December25.03.0×
BitolaBitola, North Macedonia2 105.021 December40.82.6×
SofiaSofia-Capital, Bulgaria1 25.521 December10.22.5×
DimitrovgradHaskovo, Bulgaria1 45.521 December19.22.4×
IlindenIlinden, North Macedonia1 84.023 December37.32.3×
StrumicaStrumica, North Macedonia2 107.523 December51.32.1×
PodgoricaPodgorica, Montenegro2 78.123 December37.02.1×
GevgelijaGevgelija, North Macedonia1 72.923 December34.62.1×

Daily means in µg/m³, over the days each city counted in this episode. Highest: its highest of those days. Usual: the city's median for the time of year of that day (its days within 21 days of the date, every year, leaving out the week around it). Above usual: its highest day against that, with a usual under 5 µg/m³ taken as 5.

Against other episodes in North Macedonia and Bulgaria

Number 4 of 4 episodes in North Macedonia and Bulgaria since our records began, by cities reached.

Bars: cities reached; colour: the level of the episode's highest daily reading.

Use this page

SmogRank, North Macedonia, Bulgaria and 2 more countries, December 2025: 9 cities with PM2.5 at twice their usual or more, 21 to 23 December 2025, smogrank.com/episodes/2025-12-north-macedonia-bulgaria-and-2-more-countries (accessed 5 October 2026).

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You're welcome to reuse a single chart, image or figure with this citation and a link. Terms.

An episode is a run of days when many cities close to each other (four or more within 350 km on a day, 8 or more in all) each had a daily PM2.5 mean of at least 25 µg/m³ and at least 2 times their usual for that time of year. Found in our own measurements, not picked by hand. How we find episodes. Values are each city's daily mean of its own monitors; causes are the usual kinds for a pattern like this, not a confirmed source.