What months are seaweed in Florida?


What months are seaweed in Florida? Sargassum seaweed is not a new phenomena, but this year's mass was the largest ever recorded. Florida's seaweed season typically runs from April until October, peaking in June and July. The seaweed comes in waves, depending on currents and wind direction.


Does Clearwater beach have sargassum?

At this time, red tide is not present on St. Pete/Clearwater's beaches. Although many national news outlets reported about a massive seaweed or sargassum blob coming to Florida this summer, this is not affecting the beaches of St. Pete/Clearwater in any way.


What Florida beaches will be affected by sargassum seaweed?

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.


What beaches have no seaweed?

  • Grand Anse in St. ...
  • Morne Rouge Beach on Grenada. ...
  • Grace Bay Beach in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. ...
  • Palm Beach in Aruba, Dutch Caribbean. ...
  • Playa Porto Mari on Curacao, Dutch Caribbean. ...
  • Bloody Bay and Long Bay Beaches in Negril, Jamaica. ...
  • Beaches in Antigua & Barbuda.


What month is sargassum worse?

Sargassum season in the Mexican Caribbean typically runs from May through October, with July and August generally being the worst months for its arrival.


What is the smell on the beach in Florida?

Sargassum is a type of brown seaweed that is washing up on beaches in Florida. As it rots, it gives off a substance called hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide has a very unpleasant odor, like rotten eggs.


How long will Florida seaweed last?

Florida's seaweed season typically runs from April until October, peaking in June and July. The seaweed comes in waves, depending on currents and wind direction.


Is there a big seaweed coming to Florida?

A giant blob of seaweed called the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt is floating toward the West Coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. The mass, pictured in the map below, could be an estimated 13.5 million metric tons in 2023 and is known as sargassum. What is that, and what happens as it reaches the coast?


Is it illegal to take seaweed from the beach in Florida?

Of primary importance is the condition that seaweed cannot be removed from the beach. Seaweed can only be hand raked to the toe of the dune. Anyone wishing to apply for a beach raking permit can apply at the Town's Building Department.


What is invading Florida beaches?

Here's why seaweed is piling up along Florida beaches Since 2011, a fleet of seaweed patches double the size of the contiguous U.S. has cycled from West Africa to Florida, threatening beaches from Martinique to Miami. This year, it could grow bigger.


Can you swim in ocean with seaweed?

? Avoid touching or swimming near seaweed to avoid stinging by organisms that live in it. ? Use gloves if you must handle seaweed.


What beaches in Florida have seaweed?

The seaweed also contains tiny sea creatures, such as jellyfish larvae, that can irritate your skin on contact.
  • Sargassum seaweed at South Beach Park in Vero Beach, Florida.
  • Sargassum seaweed at Avalon State Park in Fort Pierce, Florida.
  • Sargassum seaweed at Pepper Park Beachside in Fort Pierce, Florida.


Is it safe to swim in sargassum?

? Avoid touching or swimming near seaweed to avoid stinging by organisms that live in it. ? Use gloves if you must handle seaweed. ? Stay away from the beach if you experience irritation or breathing problems from hydrogen sulfide—at least until symptoms go away. ? Close windows and doors if you live near the beach.


Where is there no sargassum in summer?

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.


Is seaweed going to Florida 2023?

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.


Is sargassum in July 2023?

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.