Montevideo in Summer

In summer (December, January and February), Montevideo sees average daytime highs around 23°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 232 mm of rain over about 20 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the driest season of the year.

Over the season highs climb from about 21°C in early December to 23°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels muggy.

Summer is Montevideo's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Montevideo's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
23°C
warmest season of the year
Avg overnight low
20°C
Rainfall
232 mm
20 wet days
Avg wind
22 km/h
Travel score
7.7
best season of the year
Months
Dec · Jan · Feb

Temperature in Montevideo in Summer

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 21°C in early December to 23°C by late February.

A typical summer day in Montevideo reaches about 23°C and drops to 20°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is January, the coolest December.

15°20°25°30°DecJanFeb

Montevideo weather by month

How the three summer months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

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 Summer

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 54% of the time across summer.

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Chance of precipitation in Summer

Any precipitation

Montevideo gets around 232 mm of rain over 20 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%10%20%30%40%DecJanFeb

Humidity in Summer

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%DecJanFeb

Wind in Summer

Winds average 22 km/h across summer.

0510152025DecJanFeb

Sunrise & sunset in Summer

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 12 min in early December to 12 h 54 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMDecJanFeb

Solar energy in Summer

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 7.1 kWh/m².

02468DecJanFeb
Planning a trip in summer

Is summer a good time to visit Montevideo?

Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

7.7
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
6.0
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

summer is one of the better times to visit Montevideo for general sightseeing. The water and warmth also suit a beach or pool day.

What to pack for Montevideo in Summer

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

In summer, Montevideo sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 20°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and a windbreaker. About 20 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesa windbreaker

Sea temperature near Montevideo in Summer

The nearest coast averages about 23°C across summer — 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 Summer

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 12 (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 Summer

GoodModeratePoorUnhealthyVery unhealthy

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