Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026 · morning edition, updated 9:45 a.m.
Free
Montevideo today
59°
/
45°
F
feels like 57°F
15°
/
7°
C
high · low
Overcast
Montevideo Insider
Uruguay, in English
The dollar
40,00
pesos for each US$1 you bring in
40,60 to buy a dollar back
40,60 to buy a dollar back
euro in
46,08
Open today
Banks shut
Wednesday — financial-sector holiday.
Buses
1,263 on 129 lines
9:45 a.m. · no stoppage called.
Top of the news
Open a story for our summary; “Read more” opens the source
Overcast & drizzly
Damp, chilly Wednesday gives way to a dry, colder weekend
Light rain lingers into Thursday before a dry, cold spell settles in for the weekend.
Open-Meteo / Inumet · data
What it means
Montevideo woke up to 10 degrees Celsius (49 Fahrenheit) but a feels-like of just 6 C (43 F) under an 18 km/h (11 mph) wind and 83% humidity. Today's high only reaches 15 C/59 F, with a low of 7 C/45 F and about 1 millimeter of drizzle; Punta del Este runs a touch milder at the extremes (6-17 C / 44-63 F) but windier, with its own light drizzle today.
Thursday brings the wettest stretch of the week: Montevideo picks up roughly 3.7 mm of rain, while Punta del Este could see a proper thunderstorm with close to 28.5 mm (1.1 inches) and gusty wind. After that the pattern flips to dry and overcast from Friday through the following Monday, with highs stuck in the 11-13 C (52-55 F) range and lows dipping toward 8-10 C (46-50 F) — no rain in the six-day outlook past Thursday.
Inumet (the state weather service) currently has no active weather warnings or advisories in effect, and nothing from Brazil's border-area alerts suggests a bigger system is bearing down on the litoral this week.
What it means
Keep the umbrella out through Thursday and dress for high-teens-Celsius (50s Fahrenheit) chill all week — the wind makes it feel several degrees colder than the number on the thermometer.
Three young men shot dead in Montevideo in under 24 hours
The killings weren't connected to each other, but all three victims were young men shot multiple times.
Montevideo Portal · news · 3 min
What it means
Between Monday night and Tuesday morning, three unrelated homicides were recorded across Montevideo, all involving young male victims killed by multiple gunshots. The first, around 9:30 p.m. Monday in Piedras Blancas, saw a 25-year-old attacked with gunfire in the street; he made it to his stepfather's house before dying in a bedroom.
The string of killings fits a grim pattern this year: the first half of 2026 closed with 195 homicides nationwide, the highest tally for that period since 2018, with three out of every four killings carried out with a firearm and gunshot injuries up 7.4%.
What it means
Uruguay is still far safer than most of the region, but the recent run of shootings — often in ordinary residential neighborhoods, not just known flashpoints — is a reminder to stay alert at night and keep tabs on local news for your barrio.
Montevideo Portal; La Mañana.
Read more at Montevideo Portal
Orsi gives 'absolute' backing to defense minister over shipyard fraud case
The president addressed an opposition complaint against Defense Minister Sandra Lazo tied to the Cardama warship scandal.
Montevideo Portal · news · 3 min
What it means
President Yamandu Orsi was asked about a formal complaint the opposition filed against Defense Minister Sandra Lazo over the Cardama affair, and gave the minister his full backing.
The case centers on the government's decision to scrap a contract with the Spanish shipyard Cardama for two oceanic patrol vessels for the Navy, after officials said they detected strong indications the Uruguayan state may have been the victim of fraud. State bank BROU, which issued the letter of credit financing the deal and already disbursed millions of euros to the shipyard, has separately defended its own handling of the payments.
What it means
It's mostly a domestic political fight, but it involves the state bank BROU and taxpayer-funded defense spending — worth tracking if you follow Uruguay's fiscal credibility or bank with BROU.
Disapproval of Orsi's government climbs to 57%, poll finds
A third-quarter survey shows a majority of Uruguayans now disapprove of the president's performance.
MercoPress · news brief
What it means
A quarterly poll from pollster Opción found disapproval of President Yamandu Orsi's government has risen to 57%, a notable jump reported in the run-up to the current budget and defense-spending controversies.
The figure adds political pressure just as the Cardama case and coalition attacks on Defense Minister Lazo dominate headlines.
What it means
A president losing altitude in the polls tends to have a harder time pushing budget and tax measures through Congress — worth watching if you're waiting on any pending fiscal or regulatory change.
For foreigners & immigrants
Flight connectivity
American Airlines to resume seasonal Montevideo-Miami flights in December
The U.S. carrier is bringing back its direct seasonal route linking Montevideo to Miami.
MercoPress · news brief
What it means
American Airlines will resume its seasonal nonstop service between Montevideo and Miami starting in December, restoring a direct link that had lapsed outside the peak season.
What it means
A direct U.S. option makes it easier — and often cheaper — to fly home for the holidays or bring visiting family over without connecting through Panama, Santiago or São Paulo. Book early since seasonal routes tend to sell out around the holidays.
Cross-border economics
Argentine trips abroad drop 21%, with Brazil and Uruguay the top destinations
Argentines are traveling abroad far less, but the trips they do take increasingly land in Uruguay and Brazil.
MercoPress · news brief
What it means
Argentine outbound travel fell 21.2% compared with the prior period, according to new data, with Brazil and Uruguay emerging as the leading destinations for the trips that are still happening.
What it means
If you shop across the river, rent to Argentine visitors, or run a business that depends on cross-border spending, this is a sign Argentines are still coming — just on shorter, closer trips rather than to Europe or the U.S. Expect steady weekend traffic from Buenos Aires even as overall Argentine travel shrinks.
Following — threads we keep open
Animal welfare agency seeks power to actually collect its fines
INBA wants more autonomy and its own funding after struggling to enforce animal-cruelty penalties.
The National Institute of Animal Welfare (INBA), which fields hundreds of animal-cruelty complaints a month, is pushing a reform included in the government's annual budget review bill to make its fines actually collectible after years of enforcement trouble.
INBA's president told local media the plan would decentralize the institute from the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries and create a dedicated funding mechanism, giving the small agency more independence and resources to chase down unpaid penalties.
Caras y Caretas.
Read more at carasycaretas.com.uy
Cannabis prices at Uruguayan pharmacies rose again this month
IRCCA's latest price update, in effect since Aug. 1, pushed every legal strain a little higher.
The Institute for the Regulation and Control of Cannabis (IRCCA) confirmed new pharmacy prices effective Aug. 1: Alfa rose from 485 to 500 pesos, Beta from 505 to 510, Gamma from 565 to 580 and Epsilon from 615 to 630 pesos per unit.
The increase lands on a fast-growing system: as of the last full count, 120,083 people were registered to access cannabis legally through pharmacies, cannabis clubs or home cultivation, with pharmacy purchasers alone making up about 74% of that total across a network of 60 dispensing pharmacies nationwide.
IRCCA.
Read more at gub.uy
Uruguay in the world press
What is being said about here, elsewhere
Seedtiva
Uruguay's cannabis market matures as pharmacy sales outpace home-growing
An industry review finds Uruguayans increasingly buying the strongest legal strain, Epsilon, from pharmacies rather than growing their own.
Read at Seedtiva
Prensa Latina
Forced disappearances remain an open wound in Uruguay
A review of the official human rights institution's count found 205 dictatorship-era forced disappearances still under active investigation.
Read at Prensa Latina
Worth knowing
Customs donated goods seized in recent enforcement operations to families affected by flooding in Cerro Largo.
Montevideo Portal
Country music icon Dolly Parton has died; Uruguayan cultural pages are running tributes this morning.
la diaria
Montevideo's Ciudad Vieja (Old Town) neighborhood is debating how to recover economically without losing its neighborhood character.
la diaria
Police arrested a man investigated in connection with four recent homicides tied to a gang conflict in the Santa Catalina neighborhood, after he survived a third attempt on his own life.
Infobae
The first half of 2026 logged 195 homicides nationwide, the highest tally for that period since 2018, with three-quarters committed with firearms.
La Mañana
IRCCA said in December that opening legal cannabis sales to foreign tourists remains 'on the table,' though no timeline has been set.
Herb.co
Montevideo today
High / low15° / 7°C · 59° / 45°F
Feels like14° / 4°C · 57° / 39°F
SkyOvercast
Wind18 km/h · 11 mph
Rain1.0 mm · 0.04 in
Wed., Aug. 2615° / 7°C · 59° / 45°F
Thu., Aug. 2713° / 11°C · 55° / 52°F
Fri., Aug. 2811° / 10°C · 52° / 51°F
No frost in the forecast window; check Inumet for any official alert.
Model consensus for today
A consensus of the major global forecast models; official warnings sourced to Inumet. More on the weather page.
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Open today?
Government officesOpen
BanksClosed
ShopsOpen
Supermarkets, feriasOpen
Next closureMon., Oct. 12 — banks & offices shut
And againMon., Nov. 2 — banks & offices shut
On the horizon
Mon., Oct. 12banks & offices shut
Mon., Nov. 2banks & offices shut
Fri., Dec. 25all shut
Fri., Jan. 1all shut
Nov. 6-8Papal visit
Nov. 15Beach flag season opens
If you rent
4.25%
rent adjustment
coefficient
coefficient
August coefficientNot yet published
Inflation, 12 months4.27%
Avg. rent, Uruguay · INE, Mar.$21,400
The coefficient is the lower of two indexes — wages or prices — so it tracks inflation when wages run ahead. Whether it binds your contract depends on what the contract says and on whether the building predates June 1968.
Montevideo Insider is written and translated daily. Spanish is always given alongside its English meaning. Nothing here is legal, tax or immigration advice.
