It was the third rainiest December in 44 years, the INUMET briefing stated. The institute further detailed the heaviest rainfalls had occurred north of the Negro River, which originates in Brazil, crosses Uruguay from east to west and flows into the Uruguay River.

By 2023 an agricultural emergency was decreed here due to a sustained drought, which further justified the water emergency for the metropolitan area, including the departments of Montevideo, San Jose and Canelones.

Losses triggered by the drought last year were estimated at USD$ 1.8 billion in the agricultural sector, the source of most of Uruguay’s exports.

Since the end of 2023, departments in the north and west, on the borders with Brazil and Argentina, have suffered flooding with several thousands of people displaced.

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