In the two islands of the French West Indies, early arrivals of sargassum are reported. And conditions are favorable for an intensification of strandings in the coming weeks in the Caribbean area.
The French West Indies are on alert. The phenomenon of sargassum – these brown algae with a nauseating odor – now seems to be breaking the calendar, with the first strandings already noted. According to the latest bulletins from Météo-France published this Monday, rafts of algae – the established term – are already observed in significant quantities off the coast of the Antilles, with strandings in progress and expected to continue over the coming days. Guadeloupe is among the territories concerned. According to Météo-France, “Arrivals are currently taking place more or less continuously across the entire coastline exposed to the southeast to east flow of our archipelago” and, specifies the establishment, “No island is spared at this moment”.
«Contrairement aux previous years, the period say “creuse” to the marquée par des échouements précoces et réguliers, bien que de faible intensity»noted the meteorological agency at the beginning of March, emphasizing that the truce usually observed at the start of the year was almost not observed in 2026.
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A “very heavy” sea and strandings expected to intensify
In Martinique, the Météo-France bulletin also points to an Atlantic «très chargé» in algae. “Numerous sargassum rafts are detected on satellite images to the east and south-east of the Martinique coast”drifting towards the coasts under the effect of winds and currents oriented from the southeast to the northwest. The entire Atlantic coast therefore remains on the front line, with continued arrivals in areas already heavily impacted.
Occasional strandings are also possible in the south, particularly on the Diamant side, where the configuration of the coast and the wind sometimes favors the accumulation of algae. The northern Caribbean is usually more preserved, but it is not completely safe. The meteorological services anticipate additional arrivals over the next two weeks.
A progression well beyond the French West Indies
Other regions are affected. Mexico is among the territories particularly exposed at the start of the year. On the Caribbean coast, particularly in the tourist region of the Yucatan Peninsula, arrivals have already started and could intensify in the weeks to come. As in the French West Indies, ocean conditions favor the continued drift of algae towards the coasts, suggesting a long season. Further west, the Dominican Republic is also seeing early groundings on its coastlines exposed to the Atlantic.
