Punta del Este weather in January

In January, Punta del Este sees average daytime highs of 23°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 60 mm of rain across 4.9 wet days and about 14.1 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time in January, and the air most often feels muggy.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 18 min at the start of January to 13 h 48 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Punta del Este's 1st-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Punta del Este's year-round climate.

Daytime high
23°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
20°
11th coldest
Rainfall
60 mm
4.9 wet days
Daylight
14 h 06 min
6:46 AM – 8:52 PM
Cloud cover
40%
1st clearest
Wind
22 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
7.29 kWh/m²
Travel score
7.9
out of 10

Punta del Este is City in Maldonado, Uruguay.

Density
456/km²
people per km²
Founded
1829

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 23°C through the month.

A typical January day in Punta del Este reaches about 23°C in the afternoon and slips back to 20°C overnight — a 3°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 21°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C warmer than December and on par with February.

15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12220
22220
32220
42320
52320
62320
72320
82320
92320
102320
112320
122320
132320
142320
152320
162320
172320
182320
192320
202320
212320
222320
232320
242320
252320
262320
272321
282321
292321
302321
312321

Punta del Este weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 20°604.914.17.9
Feb23° / 21°827.113.37.5
Mar22° / 20°938.712.37.1
Apr20° / 17°1079.611.16.4
May17° / 14°868.710.25.5
Jun14° / 12°989.59.74.2
Jul13° / 10°1059.79.93.5
Aug14° / 11°979.210.73.9
Sep14° / 12°918.311.84.4
Oct16° / 14°968.712.95.4
Nov19° / 16°837.213.86.7
Dec21° / 18°707.114.37.3

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 55% of the time in January, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 14% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 31%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
16931
26931
36931
46931
56931
66832
76931
86931
96931
106832
116931
126931
136931
146931
156931
167030
177030
187030
197030
207030
217030
227030
237030
247030
256931
266931
276832
286733
296733
306634
316634

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Punta del Este gets around 60 mm of rain over 4.9 wet days in January, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 17% and peaks near 22% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
118
217
317
416
516
616
716
816
916
1016
1117
1217
1317
1417
1517
1617
1717
1817
1917
2017
2116
2217
2317
2417
2518
2618
2719
2820
2921
3021
3122

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the muggy band about 39% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 47% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)Oppressive (%)
1101631376
2101531377
3101531377
4101531378
5101531368
6101630368
7101630358
8101630358
9111730358
10111730358
11111729358
12101829358
13101828368
14101828368
15101827378
16101927377
17101926387
18101926387
1991925398
2091924408
2191924418
2291823418
2381823429
2481822429
25818224310
26817224310
27817214311
28817214311
29816214212
30816214212
31816224113

Wind in January

Winds average 22 km/h in January.

Across January, 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
1822breezy
1922breezy
2022breezy
2122breezy
2222breezy
2322breezy
2422breezy
2522breezy
2622breezy
2722breezy
2822breezy
2922breezy
3022breezy
3122breezy

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 18 min at the start of January to 13 h 48 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 30 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:34 AM to 7:00 AM, and sunset from 8:52 PM to 8:46 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.36:348:52
214.36:348:52
314.36:358:53
414.36:368:53
514.36:368:53
614.36:378:53
714.26:388:53
814.26:398:53
914.26:408:53
1014.26:408:53
1114.26:418:53
1214.26:428:53
1314.26:438:53
1414.16:448:53
1514.16:458:52
1614.16:468:52
1714.16:478:52
1814.16:488:52
1914.06:498:52
2014.06:498:51
2114.06:508:51
2214.06:518:50
2314.06:528:50
2413.96:538:50
2513.96:548:49
2613.96:558:49
2713.96:568:48
2813.86:578:48
2913.86:588:47
3013.86:598:47
3113.87:008:46

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 7.29 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.17 kWh/m² to a high of 7.47 kWh/m² in December across the year — January's 7.29 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.5Intense
27.5Intense
37.5Intense
47.5Intense
57.5Intense
67.5Intense
77.5Intense
87.4Intense
97.4Intense
107.4Intense
117.4Intense
127.4Intense
137.4Intense
147.4Intense
157.3Intense
167.3Intense
177.3Intense
187.3Intense
197.2Intense
207.2Intense
217.2Intense
227.1Intense
237.1Intense
247.1Intense
257.0Intense
267.0Intense
276.9Intense
286.9Intense
296.8Intense
306.8Intense
316.7Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Punta del Este?

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

7.9
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
5.9
Beach & pool
1st-best month of the year

January is one of the better times to visit Punta del Este for general sightseeing.

What to pack for Punta del Este in January

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

In January, Punta del Este sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 20°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and a windbreaker. About 5 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesa windbreaker

Sea temperature near Punta del Este in January

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

The sea at the nearest coast (about 19 km away) is warmest in February at about 23°C and coldest in July near 12°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Dec 12 to Apr 10 — about 3.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.

10°15°20°25°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingwarmcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan22Refreshing
Feb23Refreshing
Mar22Refreshing
Apr20Cool
May17Cool
Jun14Bracing
Jul12Bracing
Aug12Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct15Cool
Nov18Cool
Dec20Refreshing

UV index in Punta del Este in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks 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 Punta del Este 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
Feb12Extreme
Mar10Very high
Apr6High
May3Moderate
Jun2Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep6High
Oct8Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Punta del Este?

Punta del Este sits at 34.9°S, 54.9°W, 0 m above sea level, in Uruguay. The nearest listed city is Maldonado, 6.0 km away.

PiriapolisMinasRochaLa PalomaPandoBarros Blancos

Topography around Punta del Este

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Punta del Este has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 53 m around an average of 10 m above sea level; within 16 km, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 154 m; within 80 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 494 m.

The land around Punta del Este is covered by water (55%) within 3 km, water (66%) within 16 km, and water (44%) and grassland (37%) within 80 km.

3 km
53 m
16 km
154 m
80 km
494 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Maldonado 6.0 km · San Carlos 17 km · Piriapolis 32 km · Minas 69 km · Rocha 76 km · La Paloma 77 km · Pando 97 km · Barros Blancos 100 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 Punta del Este (-34.9475°, -54.9338°, elevation 0 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. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).