One of my favorite things about Uruguay is the weather. In comparison to other countries where you can retire, I find the four seasons pretty refreshing. (Compare Uruguay with countries like Costa Rica with 6 months of dry weather and 6 months of unstoppable rain, and you can see why Uruguay weather, in my opinion, is so much better.)

In Montevideo the temperature has a pretty wide range, going below freezing just a couple days a year and above 90F/32C only about a week a year. The biggest difference is that since Uruguay is in the Southern hemisphere the seasons are opposite, putting Christmas in the summer, Easter in the Autumn, Halloween falls in the Spring and the Independence day celebration of July 4^th is in the Winter.

Continue below to read about the four seasons of Uruguay.

The Autumn season runs from March-May. The average temperature runs from the low 80s during the day to the low 70s and finally the low 60s on cooler, “bad” days. During the fall the normal pattern is about 4 or 5 days with a lot of sunshine, temperatures in the mid-upper 70s during the day and cooler during the night. The next 4 – 5 days see a drop in temperature, an increase in clouds, with rain and even cooler temperatures. The cycle tends to repeat itself throughout the Autumn season.

After Autumn comes Winter (June, July and August). The Winter follows a similar pattern to the Autumn with 4 or 5 warmer days followed by 4 or 5 cooler days. The warm days get up into the mid 70s and the nights regularly go down into the 40s, sometimes cooler. The rainstorms can get pretty intense and the month of August in particular is the worst! Fog and rain abound, with fairly cold temperatures.

Spring runs from September to November and brings with it longer periods of sunshine with less rain. November is considered by many, this Gringo included, to be the most comfortable part of the year. Temperatures range from the high 70s to the low 80s, and the wind is constantly blowing, although not as harsh.

December to February mark the Summer months. The hottest days are usually in February with temperatures reaching up toe 100 degrees. For the most part the Rio de la Plata estuary has a moderating effect, keeping the humidity reasonable. Rain is welcome on the hottest of days, as it causes the temperature to drop. The nights are pleasant, although I recommend sleeping with a fan.

No matter where you are, no matter what the season, Uruguay is windy! Sometimes the winds are strong, sometimes it is just breezy. Since there are no natural barriers such as mountains, the wind tends to sweep from the coast right across the land.

So basically… the weather is great. One of the things that is important to watch out for when choosing an apartment is the position of the windows. The morning sun coming in from the Northeast will be much cooler than the afternoon sun coming in the Northwest.

For me, you can’t beat the weather here in Montevideo. Sure, I don’t like the rainy, foggy month of August, but it doesn’t compare with the winters I’ve spent in the Mid-West United States. And the fact that I actually get to enjoy the variety of four different seasons was a definite plus for Uruguay.

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• The Best Time to Visit Uruguay
• Celebrate the Good Old Days with La Noche de Nostalgia