In its pelagic sargassum stranding monitoring and forecasting bulletin for the northern islands communicated on August 28, 2023, Météo France raises the level of risk to high for the territories of Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy.
The analysis is final around the Northern Islands, the beginning of an episode of arrival of Sargassum is important or even massive. Algae are present all around the Caribbean islands directly threatening the coasts. Satellite images from August 24 to 27 attest to the dominant flow from the east to northeast sector around the archipelago of the Northern Islands. Many rafts between Saint-Martin and Anguilla as well as in the east of the French island are the source of occasional but sometimes significant arrivals in the east of the territory. In the east and south-east of Saint-Barthélemy, a wave of rafts is approaching. It is beginning to cause repetitive arrivals, sometimes in unusual areas. These will continue and affect Saint-Martin from this Wednesday. To the east of Saint-Barthélemy and as far north as Barbuda, a number of rafts and filaments are approaching, announcing significant arrivals throughout the week for the French islands. The respite was short-lived given the rafts present far to the east and in the equatorial zone, which Météo France keeps track of their evolution. The end of the Sargassum season is unfortunately not yet visible, even from very far away. _VX
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