Montevideo has a humid subtropical climate . The city has cool Winters (June to September), warm-hot Summers (December to March) and volatile Springs (October and November); there are numerous thunderstorms but no tropical cyclones. Rainfall is regular and evenly spread throughout the year, reaching around 950 millimeters (37 in).
Winters are generally cool, wet, windy and overcast. During this season, there are bursts of icy and relatively dry winds of continental polar air masses, giving an unpleasant chilly feeling to the everyday life of the city. Frosts occur few times during winter, generally not falling below 28° F (-2° C) because of the oceanic influence that moderates the temperature; few miles away from the coast, frosts are more common and colder. Rainfall and sleet are a frequent winter occurrence, but snowfall is extremely rare: flurries have been recorded only four times but with no accumulation, the last one on 13 July 1930 during the inaugural match of the World Cup, (the other three snowfalls were in 1850, 1853 and 1917); the alleged 1980 Carrasco snowfall was actually a hailstorm.
Summers are warm-hot and humid, with less wind than other seasons. During this season, a moderate wind often blows from the sea in the evenings which has a pleasant cooling effect on the city, in contrast to the more severe summer heat of nearby cities like Buenos Aires. Heat waves come with the north winds, which bring humid and hot air masses from the tropical interior of the continent. These warm periods are usually followed by thunderstorms, generated by cold fronts of the southwest that lowers temperatures considerably. This phenomenon is regional, and can occur several times all year long.
Montevideo has an annual average temperature of 16.7 °C (62.1 °F). The lowest recorded temperature is −5.6 °C (21.9 °F) while the highest is 42.8 °C (109.0 °F).