Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026 · morning edition, updated 11:52 a.m.
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Montevideo today
59°
/
45°
F
feels like 57°F
15°
/
7°
C
high · low
Overcast
Montevideo Insider
Uruguay, in English
The dollar
40,07
pesos for each US$1 you bring in
40,48 to buy a dollar back
40,48 to buy a dollar back
euro in
46,37
Open today
Banks shut
Wednesday — financial-sector holiday.
Buses
1,120 on 125 lines
11:52 a.m. · no stoppage called.
Top of the news
Open a story for our summary; “Read more” opens the source
Rain returns Thursday
Cold, Drizzly Wednesday Gives Way to Stormier Thursday
A raw, overcast day with morning drizzle sets up a wetter, windier Thursday, especially on the coast.
Inumet · forecast · 2 min
What it means
Montevideo wakes to overcast skies and 12°C (54°F), but wind makes it feel more like 8°C (47°F). Today's high only reaches 15°C (59°F), with light drizzle through the day and an overnight low near 7°C (45°F), feeling as cold as 4°C (39°F). Winds run around 22 km/h (14 mph).
Inumet's own forecast, updated this morning, calls Thursday nuboso a cubierto (cloudy to overcast) with precipitaciones y tormentas (rain and thunderstorms) and fog, as wind rotates from the northeast to a gusty southwest 20-40 km/h (12-25 mph) behind a cold front, with strong gusts tied to the storms. Meteored's independent forecast agrees on timing, putting a 90% chance of rain Thursday with about 13 millimeters (0.5 inches) expected and a high/low of 14°C/11°C (57°F/52°F) — close enough to our consolidated model's 13°C/11°C (55°F/52°F) that there's no real split between services.
The coast gets it worse: Punta del Este's forecast shows a thunderstorm Thursday dumping 28.5 mm (1.1 inches) of rain with a high of 16°C (60°F), before the front clears out and the rest of the week settles into a dry, chilly overcast pattern with highs mostly 11-13°C (52-55°F) through Monday.
What it means
A raw, breezy end to August means heating costs stay up and rain gear stays useful; if you're near the coast, Thursday's storm risk is the bigger deal — secure anything loose outdoors and build in extra time for bus and ferry delays.
Sources: Inumet, Meteored Uruguay.
Read more at Inumet
Teen Shot Dead in Barrage of More Than 50 Rounds Near Manga
A 15-year-old was killed before dawn Wednesday in a neighborhood bordering the Manga area of eastern Montevideo, the latest in a string of shootings there.
Subrayado · 2 hrs
What it means
Police found the body of a 15-year-old homicide victim at 7 a.m. Wednesday at Correguela and Rubén Rada streets in the Los Sueños neighborhood, bordering Manga, after a shooting that involved more than 50 rounds around 5:45 a.m.
Separately, officers were also working a second death scene the same morning after a man was found dead near a stream in Parque Guaraní, close to Flor de Maroñas; police said the two cases are not connected.
What it means
This is another entry in a run of heavy gunfire incidents around Manga this year; if you're renting or house-hunting in Montevideo's expanding eastern neighborhoods, it's worth asking locally about specific blocks rather than judging a whole area by its name on a map.
Source: Subrayado.
Read more at Subrayado
Armed Robbers Hit State Bank Branch in Pando, Injure Guard
Investigators are chasing leads after a brazen daylight heist at a BROU branch in Canelones.
El Observador · 1 day
What it means
Robbers who hit the state-owned BROU (Banco de la República, Uruguay's largest state bank) branch in Pando got away with a large sum of cash in Uruguayan pesos, U.S. dollars and euros, Canelones police confirmed, in a heist that also left one person injured.
Police are investigating the robbery at the branch near General Artigas and Solís streets in downtown Pando, along with the getaway that followed.
What it means
If you bank at BROU, especially at smaller-town branches, expect tighter security and possibly longer waits while the investigation runs; it's a good nudge to lean on transfers and cards over carrying large amounts of cash.
Source: El Observador.
Read more at El Observador
Customs Donates Seized Goods to Flood-Hit Families in Cerro Largo
Uruguay's customs agency channeled previously confiscated merchandise to households affected by recent flooding on the Brazilian border.
Montevideo Portal · 3 min
What it means
Aduanas, Uruguay's customs agency, donated goods it had previously seized to families affected by flooding in the border department of Cerro Largo, according to Montevideo Portal, part of the state's ongoing response to this year's flooding along the Río Negro and Yaguarón basins.
The handover adds a concrete, if modest, line to the broader relief effort in the department, where flooding has repeatedly displaced families this year.
What it means
If you live in Cerro Largo, Rivera or other flood-prone border departments — or want to help — this points to the state channels (departmental emergency committees and Sinae) already coordinating relief, which foreign residents can plug into the same way locals do.
Source: Montevideo Portal.
Read more at Montevideo Portal
For foreigners & immigrants
Consumer tax
Debit-Card VAT Discount Won't Widen Right Away, Oddone Signals
Economy Minister Gabriel Oddone indicated the government isn't ready to restore the fuller discount on card purchases.
Montevideo Portal · 3 min
What it means
Economy Minister Gabriel Oddone signaled Wednesday that a return to the wider point-of-sale discount on IVA (Impuesto al Valor Agregado, Uruguay's value-added tax) for debit-card purchases won't happen immediately, according to Montevideo Portal.
Oddone has previously said his government is studying reviving the four-percentage-point IVA discount on debit-card purchases that the prior administration had cut to two points, calling it something his team is tempted to do, while wanting to first study the effects on consumption.
What it means
If restored, this would make everyday debit-card purchases up to two extra percentage points cheaper — worth tracking if you've just opened a local bank account and pay for groceries or meals out with a Uruguayan debit card rather than cash.
Source: Montevideo Portal.
Read more at Montevideo Portal
Flight connectivity
American Airlines Bringing Back Seasonal Miami-Montevideo Route in December
The nonstop link returns for the Southern Hemisphere summer season.
MercoPress · 2 min
What it means
American Airlines will resume its seasonal nonstop flight between Miami and Montevideo starting in December, restoring a direct option that many U.S. travelers and Uruguay-based Americans rely on.
The route typically runs through the summer travel season, easing family visits, paperwork runs to U.S. consular services, and business trips that would otherwise require connecting through São Paulo or Buenos Aires.
What it means
If you have family, banking or paperwork ties to the U.S., this reopens a direct option worth booking early — seasonal routes fill up fast and can be cut if demand disappoints.
Source: MercoPress.
Read more at MercoPress
Following — threads we keep open
INBA Moves to Make Animal-Cruelty Fines Actually Collectible
A budget-bill reform would give Uruguay's animal-welfare institute more autonomy and its own funding to enforce penalties.
The Instituto Nacional de Bienestar Animal (INBA), Uruguay's national animal-welfare institute, fields hundreds of complaints every month but has too few staff and struggles to actually collect the fines it levies for animal cruelty.
A reform tucked into the government's Rendición de Cuentas (the mid-year budget-review bill) would give INBA more independence from the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries (MGAP) and create its own financing mechanism, INBA president Esteban Vieta said.
Source: Caras y Caretas.
Read more at carasycaretas.com.uy
Montevideo's New Household Trash Bins Winning Over Residents, Survey Finds
A poll in pilot neighborhoods shows strong approval even as citywide cleanliness ratings hit a 27-year low.
A survey found 85% of residents in neighborhoods that have already switched to inside-the-home or inside-the-building trash containers are satisfied with the new system, and nine in ten said their block and neighborhood look cleaner since it began.
That's a sharp contrast with the citywide mood: the same pollster found overall dissatisfaction with Montevideo's street cleaning at 72%, the highest since 1999, even as Mayor Mario Bergara said the city isn't slowing down and aims to reach 500,000 households on the new system by 2028.
Source: La Mañana.
Read more at xn--lamaana-7za.uy
Uruguay in the world press
What is being said about here, elsewhere
MercoPress
Progressive Leaders Gathered in Uruguay Denounce U.S. Interference and Acknowledge Their Own Mistakes
Read at MercoPress
MercoPress
Pan-American Congress Closes With a Call for More Equal North-South Dialogue
Read at MercoPress
Worth knowing
Police breathalyzer checks during Paysandú's Noche de la Nostalgia (Night of Nostalgia, Uruguay's Aug. 24 retro-dance holiday) turned up 16 positive results this year.
la diaria
Neighbors and business owners in Montevideo's Ciudad Vieja (Old Town) are debating how to revive foot traffic and investment without losing the historic quarter's character.
la diaria
A Russian-flagged fishing trawler transferring fuel listed sharply at the port of Montevideo Wednesday morning, in a moment caught on video that quickly circulated online.
Montevideo Portal
The central bank pegged the dollar at 40.18 pesos Monday, while Argentina's official rate sat near 1,511.5 pesos per dollar and Brazil's real near 5.15 — a gap that keeps cross-border shopping trips relatively cheap for peso and dollar holders.
Banco Central del Uruguay
Uruguay's regulated cannabis market keeps expanding: as of this spring, roughly 120,000 people were registered to buy through pharmacies, clubs or home cultivation, with pharmacy sales alone topping 1.9 million grams in the year's first four months.
El Planteo
Montevideo today
High / low15° / 7°C · 59° / 45°F
Feels like14° / 4°C · 57° / 39°F
SkyOvercast
Wind22 km/h · 14 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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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
Nov. 6-8Papal visit
Nov. 15Beach flag season opens
Fri., Dec. 25all shut
Fri., Jan. 1all shut
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.