Bulgaria lies along the southern margins of the continental climate of Central and Eastern Europe. Regional climatic differences occur in the Danubian tableland, exposed to cold winter winds from the north, and the Thracian Plain, which has a modified Mediterranean climate and is protected by the Balkan Mountains against the northern frosts. January temperatures are between 0° and 2°c (32–36°f) in the lowlands but colder in the mountains; July temperatures average about 22° to 24°c (72–75°f). Precipitation is fairly regularly distributed throughout the year and amounts to an average of 64 cm (25 in).