NOAA reading · 20 Oct 2026
Sargassum in Cancún today
The chance of sargassum washing up at 16 beaches in Cancún, worst first, from NOAA satellite data refreshed daily.
Today at a glance
- Watch6
- Low risk10
| Beach | Sargassum risk |
|---|---|
| Dolphin Beach Point | Watch |
| Dolphins Beach | Watch |
| La Isla Berkinada | Watch |
| La Madalena - Cancún | Watch |
| Playa Ballenas | Watch |
| Playa San Miguelito | Watch |
| Gaviota's Beach Cancun | Low risk |
| Isla Blanca | Low risk |
| Playa Caracol, Cancún | Low risk |
| Playa Chac Mool | Low risk |
| Playa del Niño | Low risk |
| Playa Langosta | Low risk |
| Playa Las Perlas | Low risk |
| Playa Linda | Low risk |
| Playa Tortugas Cancun | Low risk |
| The Rock | Low risk |
Before you go
Reading Cancún's numbers
A beach behind the reef or facing away from the open sea often stays clear when its neighbours don't, so compare the list rather than the town as a whole.
How this works
What the reading is, and isn't
- NOAA and the University of South Florida grade the whole Caribbean coastline every day for sargassum inundation risk. Satellites map floating algae, and NOAA compares the 50 to 100 km of sea off each stretch of coast with the days before it. Each beach takes the grade of the coastline nearest to it.
- Four grades, NOAA's own: low risk, watch, medium risk and high risk.
- It is a risk grade, not a count of weed on the sand. Cleanup crews and the last few hours of wind decide what lands, and a beach behind the reef or on the leeward side can stay clear next to a heavy one. Check the local semáforo flag when you arrive.
- When clouds leave NOAA too little to go on there is no reading, and we say so rather than guess. NOAA calls the product experimental. NOAA's daily risk map.