Montevideo weather in May

In May, Montevideo sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 87 mm of rain across 7.9 wet days and about 10.2 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 15°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 36 min at the start of May to 9 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Montevideo's 10th-clearest and 12th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Montevideo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
8th warmest
Overnight low
14°
5th coldest
Rainfall
87 mm
7.9 wet days
Daylight
10 h 12 min
8:36 AM – 6:46 PM
Cloud cover
58%
10th clearest
Wind
21 km/h
12th windiest
Solar energy
2.6 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.4
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 15°C by the end.

A typical May day in Montevideo reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 2°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 3°C cooler than April and about 3°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11815
21815
31815
41715
51715
61715
71715
81715
91715
101715
111714
121714
131714
141614
151614
161614
171614
181614
191614
201614
211613
221613
231613
241513
251513
261513
271513
281513
291513
301513
311512

Montevideo weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 10th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 33% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%. Skies tend to cloud over as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15446
25446
35347
45347
55347
65248
75248
85248
95149
105149
115050
124951
134951
144852
154753
164753
174654
184654
194654
204654
214555
224555
234555
244555
254456
264456
274555
284555
294654
304654
314753

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Montevideo gets around 87 mm of rain over 7.9 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 25% and peaks near 28% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
126
225
325
425
524
624
724
823
923
1023
1123
1223
1323
1424
1524
1625
1725
1825
1926
2026
2126
2227
2327
2427
2527
2628
2727
2827
2927
3027
3127

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 64% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
15029201
25129191
35129191
45229181
55429170
65529160
75629150
85629150
95729140
105829130
115929120
126029110
136029110
146030100
15613090
16622990
17632980
18642880
19642880
20662770
21672670
22692470
23712360
24722260
25732160
26752050
27761950
28781750
29791650
30811540
31821440

Wind in May

Winds average 21 km/h in May, the calmest month.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 21 km/h on the calmest days to 22 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
121breezy
221breezy
321breezy
421breezy
521breezy
621breezy
721breezy
821breezy
921breezy
1021breezy
1121breezy
1221breezy
1321breezy
1421breezy
1521breezy
1621breezy
1721breezy
1821breezy
1922breezy
2022breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2722breezy
2822breezy
2922breezy
3022breezy
3122breezy

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 36 min at the start of May to 9 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 42 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 8:24 AM to 8:47 AM, and sunset from 7:00 PM to 6:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.68:247:00
210.68:246:59
310.68:256:58
410.58:266:57
510.58:276:56
610.58:286:55
710.48:286:54
810.48:296:53
910.48:306:52
1010.38:316:51
1110.38:326:50
1210.38:336:50
1310.38:336:49
1410.28:346:48
1510.28:356:47
1610.28:366:46
1710.28:366:46
1810.18:376:45
1910.18:386:44
2010.18:396:43
2110.18:406:43
2210.08:406:42
2310.08:416:42
2410.08:426:41
2510.08:436:40
269.98:436:40
279.98:446:39
289.98:456:39
299.98:456:38
309.98:466:38
319.98:476:38

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 2.6 kWh/m².

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 — May's 2.6 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

01234151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.1Moderate
23.1Moderate
33.0Moderate
43.0Moderate
53.0Moderate
62.9Moderate
72.9Moderate
82.9Moderate
92.8Moderate
102.8Moderate
112.8Moderate
122.7Moderate
132.7Moderate
142.6Moderate
152.6Moderate
162.6Moderate
172.5Moderate
182.5Moderate
192.5Moderate
202.5Moderate
212.4Moderate
222.4Moderate
232.4Moderate
242.4Moderate
252.4Moderate
262.4Moderate
272.3Moderate
282.3Moderate
292.3Moderate
302.3Moderate
312.3Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Montevideo?

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

5.4
Sightseeing
8th-best month of the year
0.9
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Montevideo for sightseeing.

What to pack for Montevideo in May

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

In May, Montevideo sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and a windbreaker. About 8 days see rain.

a warm layera windbreaker

Sea temperature near Montevideo in May

The nearest coast averages about 16°C in May — 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 3 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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 May

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where May 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
May 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).