Sargassum and hurricanes on Marie-Galante

Sargassum seaweed

Yes, Capesterre is exposed to sargassum: Marie-Galante’s east coast is on the front line, the west coast far less so.

• What it is: floating brown seaweed (Sargassum natans and fluitans) that drifts in mats. Mass strandings have hit the Caribbean since 2011.
• When: mostly from spring to late summer, peaking from May to July; in 2025, from mid-March to mid-September, with a few arrivals until December. Amounts vary widely: 2011 to 2017 were quiet, 2018 remains the record year, and 2026 ranked third at the end of May.
• Where: pushed by the trade winds and currents from the east, it washes up on east- and southeast-facing shores; on Marie-Galante, Capesterre’s town center, La Feuillère and Petite Anse are the hardest hit. On the west coast, around Saint-Louis and Anse Canot, the wind usually keeps it offshore, though some can drift in.
• The smell: rotting sargassum gives off hydrogen sulfide, which smells of rotten eggs. The regional health agency (ARS) advises avoiding covered beaches and swimming among the mats, and asks vulnerable people (young children, pregnant women, people with asthma…) to move away once they notice the smell.
• To keep track: the Météo-France forecast (4-day stranding risk), Gwad’Air’s daily map (hydrogen sulfide), and advice from the ARS and the prefecture, all in French.

If Capesterre’s beaches are affected, the west coast is half an hour away: see the beaches.

Hurricane season

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, with most activity from mid-August to mid-October and a statistical peak on September 10. When a storm threatens, the local prefecture issues color-coded alerts:

• yellow: possible threat within 48 to 72 hours;
• orange: the threat is taking shape, within 24 to 36 hours;
• red: likely threat within 6 to 18 hours;
• purple: imminent threat, within 3 to 6 hours;
• gray: the worst is over.