Montevideo faces a cool, overcast Tuesday with temperatures reaching 10°C (50°F) during the day and dropping to 5°C (41°F) overnight, with winds at 19 km/h (12 mph). Skies stay cloudy through Wednesday, when temperatures climb slightly to 15°C (58°F), with light drizzle expected.

The forecast shifts dramatically Thursday and Friday as the annual Santa Rosa storm arrives. Meteorologist José Serra told Montevideo Portal the storm's worst hours will come Aug. 27–28, with heaviest impact in the north and east—Rivera, Cerro Largo, Rocha and Artigas. He warned of rain, thunderstorms and hail across much of the country; southern zones should see lighter effects. The Santa Rosa storm, a clash of early spring warmth with Antarctic cold fronts, historically strikes within 15 days either side of Aug. 30, occurring 56 percent of years since 1906.

The weekend stays cloudy and cool, with highs around 11–12°C (52–53°F) and no rain forecast. The fetched data shows good agreement across services for the near term, though the storm's exact timing and intensity remain subject to revision as it approaches.

Four armed men robbed the Banco República (BROU) branch in Pando on Monday afternoon, police and the bank said. The robbers—carrying shotguns and 9-mm pistols—entered the branch at General Artigas and Solís around 5:50 p.m., reduced staff and customers, and fled in a dark Mercedes-Benz. Video published by Subrayado shows the four, mostly masked, running from the building with bags.

Police estimate the thieves took $70,000 USD, €90,000 and 10 million pesos (about $250,000 USD equivalent), though BROU has not confirmed the figure. The gang crashed the Mercedes in Barros Blancos, smashed a family's window trying to steal their car, then carjacked a passing pickup truck at gunpoint. The four occupants of the hijacked vehicle were unharmed. BROU general manager Mariela Espino told Subrayado all staff and customers are safe; one guard suffered a blow to the head but was treated on site.

Montevideo Portal confirmed today the amount taken. The robbery triggered a helicopter search and a city-wide alert; no arrests have been announced.

Police launched 20 simultaneous raids in Cerro Norte on Tuesday morning, targeting the two main criminal gangs operating in the neighborhood—Los Colorados and Los Suárez—after multiple shootings in recent nights. At least four people were arrested, two from each gang, including a leader of Los Colorados, Subrayado and la diaria reported.

Officers seized multiple weapons, including an AR-15 assault rifle, at least six other rifles, several pistols, ammunition and cash, la diaria said. The operation, led by Zone IV Investigations with support from the Republican Guard, K9 units and tactical squads, followed nights of automatic gunfire detected by the police acoustic system.

The gangs have been fighting for territorial control on either side of Vizcaya Street. The government launched the Más Barrio (More Neighborhood) program in Cerro Norte in April, pairing police presence with census-taking and social services; homicides in the area have fallen since 2024.

Uruguay's annual Noche de la Nostalgia celebration on Monday night produced 23 traffic accidents across the country but no fatalities, Montevideo Portal reported. In Maldonado department alone, police conducted almost 1,800 vehicle checks and recorded 10 positive alcohol breath tests.

The Noche de la Nostalgia (Night of Nostalgia), held the night before Independence Day, is one of Uruguay's biggest party nights, with clubs and bars playing hits from past decades. Authorities traditionally increase roadside controls to curb drink-driving.

Starting Aug. 1, Uruguay's Institute for the Regulation and Control of Cannabis (IRCCA) raised prices on the four legal strains sold in pharmacies, marking the third increase in a year. The four strains—Alfa, Beta, Gamma and Épsilon—now range from 485 to 615 Uruguayan pesos per five grams (roughly $1.40–1.80 USD per gram at current exchange rates), International CBC reported. Prices also rose in August 2025 and February 2026.

IRCCA is actively analyzing whether to open legal cannabis access to tourists and non-residents over 18, a move that has been "on the table" since December 2025, according to industry sources. Currently, only Uruguayan citizens and permanent residents may buy cannabis through pharmacies, home cultivation or social clubs under Law 19.172. No timeline for a tourist-access decision has been announced.

Tether, the company behind the USDT stablecoin, spent roughly $120 million on two bitcoin-mining sites in Uruguay that were abandoned after a dispute with the state electricity provider UTE, Reuters reported last week. The company announced the Uruguay venture in May 2023, calling the country the "perfect platform" for its renewable energy and grid reliability, and saw it as a first step before expanding into Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.

The conflict began in November 2024 when Tether sought more power than UTE believed the contract allowed; Tether understood the agreed volume as a floor that could be raised, while UTE treated it as a ceiling. After a left-leaning government took office in March 2025, UTE hardened its stance. Tether's local entity, Microfin, stopped paying bills in May 2025, terminated contracts in June, and had power cut July 25. By November 2025, Tether told labor authorities it would cease operations and lay off most staff; Microfin settled debts in December.

The collapse reflects bitcoin mining's weakened economics after the April 2024 halving and bitcoin's price drop, Reuters noted. Tether has continued investing elsewhere in the region, including a 70-percent stake in renewable producer Adecoagro and mining sites in Brazil. CryptoSlate and other outlets reported the story Aug. 23–25.

Uruguay's Institute for the Regulation and Control of Cannabis (IRCCA) implemented its third price increase in a year on Aug. 1, adjusting the cost of the four legal strains sold through pharmacies. The strains—Alfa, Beta, Gamma and Épsilon—now range from 485 to 615 Uruguayan pesos per five grams, International CBC reported. Previous increases took effect in August 2025 and February 2026.

IRCCA continues to analyze whether to permit tourists and non-residents over 18 to purchase cannabis, a discussion that has been active since December 2025. Under current Law 19.172, only citizens and permanent residents may access the regulated supply chain. Pharmacy sales hit a record 4,290 kg in 2025, up from 3,207 kg in 2024, though supply shortages and limited high-THC options have driven some users back to the black market.

The association Madres y Familiares de Uruguayos Detenidos Desaparecidos added eight names to its list of victims of forced disappearance during Uruguay's 1973–85 civic-military dictatorship, following an updated report by the National Human Rights Institution (INDDHH), Swissinfo and Infobae reported in May. The INDDHH has received 326 complaints of presumed forced disappearances; 81 remain under analysis and 40 have been ruled out.

According to the official count, 197 people disappeared through actions of the Uruguayan state between 1968 and 1985. Most were detained in Argentina under the cross-border Plan Cóndor coordination of Southern Cone dictatorships. Remains of eight people have been found in Uruguay and 25 in Argentina. In February, the government signed a pact giving the INDDHH direct, unrestricted access to archives of the Ministry of Education and Culture—including the National Archive, Civil Registry and National Library—to speed the search for the disappeared.