Punta del Este in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Punta del Este sees average daytime highs around 22°C and overnight lows near 20°C, with 211 mm of rain over about 19 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 20°C in early December to 23°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels muggy.
Summer is Punta del Este's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Punta del Este's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 22°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 20°C
- Rainfall
- 211 mm
- 19 wet days
- Avg wind
- 22 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.6
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Punta del Este in Summer
Over the season highs climb from about 20°C in early December to 23°C by late February.
A typical summer day in Punta del Este reaches about 22°C and drops to 20°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
Punta del Este 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.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23° / 20° | 60 | 4.9 | 14.1 | 7.9 |
| Feb | 23° / 21° | 82 | 7.1 | 13.3 | 7.5 |
| Mar | 22° / 20° | 93 | 8.7 | 12.3 | 7.1 |
| Apr | 20° / 17° | 107 | 9.6 | 11.1 | 6.4 |
| May | 17° / 14° | 86 | 8.7 | 10.2 | 5.5 |
| Jun | 14° / 12° | 98 | 9.5 | 9.7 | 4.2 |
| Jul | 13° / 10° | 105 | 9.7 | 9.9 | 3.5 |
| Aug | 14° / 11° | 97 | 9.2 | 10.7 | 3.9 |
| Sep | 14° / 12° | 91 | 8.3 | 11.8 | 4.4 |
| Oct | 16° / 14° | 96 | 8.7 | 12.9 | 5.4 |
| Nov | 19° / 16° | 83 | 7.2 | 13.8 | 6.7 |
| Dec | 21° / 18° | 70 | 7.1 | 14.3 | 7.3 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 52% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Punta del Este gets around 211 mm of rain over 19 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels muggy — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 22 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
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.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 7.0 kWh/m².
Is summer a good time to visit Punta del Este?
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.
summer is one of the better times to visit Punta del Este for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Punta del Este in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Punta del Este sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 20°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and a windbreaker. About 19 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Punta del Este in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 22°C across summer — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 22 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 20 |
| Comfort | Refreshing | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Refreshing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22 | Refreshing |
| Feb | 23 | Refreshing |
| Mar | 22 | Refreshing |
| Apr | 20 | Cool |
| May | 17 | Cool |
| Jun | 14 | Bracing |
| Jul | 12 | Bracing |
| Aug | 12 | Bracing |
| Sep | 13 | Bracing |
| Oct | 15 | Cool |
| Nov | 18 | Cool |
| Dec | 20 | Refreshing |
UV index in Punta del Este in Summer
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 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 12 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 12 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Extreme |
| Feb | 12 | Extreme |
| Mar | 10 | Very high |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 3 | Moderate |
| Jun | 2 | Moderate |
| Jul | 3 | Moderate |
| Aug | 4 | Moderate |
| Sep | 6 | High |
| Oct | 8 | Very high |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
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.
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.
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
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.