Uruguay Climate
Top 5 Cities: Montevideo, Salto, Paysandú, Las Piedras, and Rivera
This month in numbers
April 2026 saw Uruguay experience a cooler-than-average month, with temperatures ranking as the 74th coolest April in 86 years of records, at 16.68°C, an anomaly of -0.7°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. Globally, however, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, at 14.96°C, an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
Looking at the broader picture, the February–April 2026 period in Uruguay was warmer than average, ranking as the 19th warmest in 86 years with a mean temperature of 21.17°C, an anomaly of +0.7°C. This contrasts with the cooler April, suggesting a recent shift in temperature patterns. Uruguay was notably among the coolest regions globally in April, ranking 232nd out of 234 for its one-month temperature anomaly. The country also sits at the cooler end of the spectrum for the 12-month rolling anomaly, ranking 233rd of 234 with an anomaly of +0.36°C.
What’s driving change?
Uruguay has been grappling with significant drought conditions, with much of the territory south of the Río Negro under an official water deficit emergency as of mid-March 2026. This drought has been progressively worsening due to accumulated rainfall significantly below historical norms, compounded by above-average summer temperatures, accelerating soil moisture loss and declining water levels in rivers and reservoirs. This current drought follows one of the most severe on record between 2022 and 2023, which led to a national water emergency declaration in June 2023. The recurring nature of these events is eroding the resilience of rural livelihood systems. Furthermore, an extratropical cyclone brought strong winds and storms to the region around April 8th, with winds potentially exceeding 80-90 km/h in some areas of Uruguay. The current ENSO state is Neutral, but El Niño is strongly forecast to develop from May-July 2026, with a 92% probability by June-August. Historically, El Niño typically brings wetter-than-average conditions to Uruguay during spring and summer, with a risk of flooding along the Paraná and Uruguay rivers. ENSO tracker
Looking ahead
The strong forecast for El Niño in the coming months suggests a potential shift towards wetter conditions for Uruguay, which could offer some relief from the ongoing drought.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Uruguay
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) - see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Uruguay changing?
Uruguay is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Uruguay come from?
Climate data for Uruguay comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Uruguay climate data cover?
The Uruguay climate profile covers Montevideo, Salto, Paysandú, Las Piedras and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Uruguay
How often is the Uruguay climate update refreshed?
The Uruguay climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.