Montevideo weather in December

In December, Montevideo sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 19°C, with 73 mm of rain across 6.8 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 11th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 23°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in December, and the air most often feels humid.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 12 min at the start of December to 14 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Montevideo's 2nd-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Montevideo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
19°
9th coldest
Rainfall
73 mm
6.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
6:31 AM – 8:51 PM
Cloud cover
42%
2nd clearest
Wind
22 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
7.54 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.5
out of 10

Montevideo is capital and largest city of Uruguay.

Air quality
Moderate
PM2.5 12 µg/m³ · 2018
Density
1,741/km²
people per km²
Founded
1726

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 23°C by the end.

A typical December day in Montevideo reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 19°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 3°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12118
22118
32118
42118
52118
62118
72218
82218
92218
102218
112218
122219
132219
142219
152219
162219
172219
182219
192319
202319
212319
222319
232320
242320
252320
262320
272320
282320
292320
302320
312320

Montevideo weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 3rd-warmest and 11th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan24° / 21°675.814.18.0
Feb24° / 21°917.413.37.5
Mar22° / 20°977.812.37.3
Apr19° / 17°1078.411.16.5
May16° / 14°877.910.25.4
Jun14° / 11°908.69.74.0
Jul12° / 10°968.79.93.4
Aug13° / 11°978.410.73.9
Sep15° / 12°928.311.84.6
Oct17° / 14°1118.812.95.7
Nov20° / 17°1017.713.86.8
Dec22° / 19°736.814.37.5

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 13% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 33%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16535
26634
36634
46634
56634
66733
76733
86733
96733
106733
116733
126832
136832
146733
156733
166733
176733
186733
196634
206733
216733
226733
236634
246634
256634
266733
276733
286733
296733
306832
316832

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Montevideo gets around 73 mm of rain over 6.8 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 22% and peaks near 23% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
123
223
323
422
522
622
722
822
922
1022
1122
1222
1323
1423
1523
1623
1723
1823
1923
2022
2122
2222
2321
2421
2521
2621
2720
2820
2920
3020
3119

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels humid — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the humid band about 34% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 27% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1282932120
2272832120
3272832120
4272733130
5262733130
6252634140
7252635140
8242535150
9232536151
10222536161
11212537171
12202537181
13192537191
14182537201
15172437211
16162436231
17152336241
18152335262
19142235272
20132134293
21132034303
22131933324
23121932334
24121831345
25121731356
26111730366
27111630367
28111630368
29101530379
30101530369
31914303610

Wind in December

Winds average 22 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 22 km/h on the calmest days to 23 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
123breezy
223breezy
323breezy
423breezy
523breezy
623breezy
723breezy
823breezy
923breezy
1023breezy
1123breezy
1223breezy
1323breezy
1423breezy
1523breezy
1623breezy
1723breezy
1822breezy
1922breezy
2022breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2722breezy
2822breezy
2922breezy
3022breezy
3122breezy

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 12 min at the start of December to 14 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 6 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 6:29 AM to 6:38 AM, and sunset from 8:40 PM to 8:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.26:298:40
214.26:298:41
314.26:298:41
414.26:298:42
514.26:298:43
614.26:298:44
714.36:298:45
814.36:298:45
914.36:298:46
1014.36:298:47
1114.36:308:48
1214.36:308:48
1314.36:308:49
1414.36:308:50
1514.36:318:50
1614.36:318:51
1714.36:318:52
1814.36:328:52
1914.36:328:53
2014.36:328:53
2114.36:338:54
2214.36:338:54
2314.36:348:55
2414.36:348:55
2514.36:358:55
2614.36:358:56
2714.36:368:56
2814.36:378:57
2914.36:378:57
3014.36:388:57
3114.36:388:57

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 7.54 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.18 kWh/m² to a high of 7.54 kWh/m² in December across the year — December's 7.54 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.4Intense
27.4Intense
37.5Intense
47.5Intense
57.5Intense
67.5Intense
77.5Intense
87.5Intense
97.6Intense
107.6Intense
117.6Intense
127.6Intense
137.6Intense
147.6Intense
157.6Intense
167.5Intense
177.5Intense
187.5Intense
197.5Intense
207.5Intense
217.5Intense
227.5Intense
237.5Intense
247.5Intense
257.5Intense
267.5Intense
277.5Intense
287.5Intense
297.5Intense
307.5Intense
317.5Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Montevideo?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

7.5
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
5.3
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

December is one of the better times to visit Montevideo for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Montevideo in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Montevideo sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 19°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and a windbreaker. About 7 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesa windbreaker

Sea temperature near Montevideo in December

The nearest coast averages about 22°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in February at about 24°C and coldest in July near 11°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Nov 27 to Apr 9 — about 4.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan23Refreshing
Feb24Refreshing
Mar22Refreshing
Apr19Cool
May16Cool
Jun13Bracing
Jul11Bracing
Aug12Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct16Cool
Nov19Cool
Dec22Refreshing

UV index in Montevideo in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Montevideo peaks around January 17 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 17UV 12Jun 18UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May3Moderate
Jun2Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct8Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec11Extreme

Air quality in Montevideo in December

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where December falls, not just the annual average.

Air quality in Montevideo is worst in August — around 16 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 1.6× the cleanest month (February, 10 µg/m³).

Seasonal pattern from CAMS reanalysis, scaled to Montevideo's WHO annual average of 12 µg/m³.

01020JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecGoodModerateGoodAug 1416 µg/m³Feb 2210 µg/m³
PM2.5 (µg/m³)Level
Jan12Good
Feb10Good
Mar10Good
Apr11Good
May12Moderate
Jun13Moderate
Jul15Moderate
Aug16Moderate
Sep14Moderate
Oct12Good
Nov10Good
Dec10Good
Location & terrain

Where is Montevideo?

Montevideo sits at 34.9°S, 56.2°W, 34 m above sea level, in Uruguay. The nearest listed city is Paso de Carrasco, 13 km away.

Canelones

Topography around Montevideo

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Montevideo.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Montevideo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 56 m around an average of 16 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 130 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 394 m.

The land around Montevideo is covered by artificial surfaces (55%) and water (38%) within 3 km, water (53%) and artificial surfaces (21%) within 16 km, and water (43%) and grassland (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
56 m
16 km
130 m
80 km
394 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Paso de Carrasco 13 km · La Paz 16 km · Las Piedras 19 km · Delta del Tigre 22 km · Barros Blancos 24 km · Progreso 26 km · Pando 29 km · Canelones 43 km

Uruguay travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 2
Exercise Increased Caution
Power plugs
Type C / F / I / L
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 66% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$25,216
2025
Happiness
6.6 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Homicide rate
11.2
per 100k, 2023
Road deaths
14.8
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
English
Moderate
EF EPI 542
Religion
none 47%Roman Catholic 37%Protestant 15%atheist 10%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Montevideo (-34.9033°, -56.1882°, elevation 34 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Monthly air-quality (PM2.5) seasonality is from the CAMS EAC4 reanalysis (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service), scaled to the WHO annual mean where available. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).