The huge blob of seaweed headed for Florida has shrunk by 75% Beachgoers walk past seaweed that washed ashore on March 16, 2023 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Florida vacations are back on, sans stinky seaweed.
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USF reports it remains difficult to predict exact timing and location for individual beaching events but substantial amounts of the seaweed are expected in May in both the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. June is forecast to be the likely peak of the 2023 season, but impacts are expected to continue into July.
USF reports it remains difficult to predict exact timing and location for individual beaching events but substantial amounts of the seaweed are expected in May in both the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. June is forecast to be the likely peak of the 2023 season, but impacts are expected to continue into July.
However due to ocean currents, the amount of seaweed landing on beaches in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico in June and July 2023 was lower than expected. There's more good news! The sargassum seaweed forecast for September 2023 is minimal seaweed in the Caribbean Sea.
Sargassum season in the Mexican Caribbean typically runs from May through October, with July and August generally being the worst months for its arrival.
Additionally, beaches on Florida's east coast, including Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and the Miami Beach area, are also seeing mounds of sargassum wash ashore. According to a report from AccuWeather, it is also impacting the southern regions of Hispaniola as well as areas of Jamaica and Puerto Rico.
While exposed eastern shores are most likely to get hit by surges of sargassum, some beaches in Mexico have no sargassum. This includes Playa Norte on Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo and Cozumel's western shore. They're generally seaweed-free. However, much depends on winds and ocean currents.
7 September 2023 Update: The Turks and Caicos is experiencing medium levels of sargassum at this time. Grace Bay, Leeward Beach, Sapodilla Bay, Taylor Bay, and the Bight Beach remain largely free of sargassum. Sargassum that washed onshore in late August has largely dissipated.
Sargassum is at its worst between April and August, peaking in July and August, although this year saw the seaweed arrive early, with some beaches being hit heavily in March. What is this?