Crystal Palace beach & sargassum forecast
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, VI · U.S. Virgin Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands · 18.343, -64.933
Updated : low seaweed, beach grade B+, sea 85°F.
Veabird's call
Tuesday is the go with A-, little seaweed and 85°F water on the south side.
Seaweed is usually lowest in July, and Magens Bay is nearby for a change.
Grades from Veabird's beach forecast; wording by AI (Muse Spark), checked against the forecast. Updated Nov 13, 06:00 UTC.
Tell me when Crystal Palace is clear
One email when the seaweed clears or the beach grades A, at most once a week per beach. We only ask for your email address, and every email has a one-click unsubscribe.
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Questions about Crystal Palace
Does Crystal Palace get sargassum (seaweed)?
Only a little in most years. At Crystal Palace the typical-year risk stays low, even around July, the usual peak (moderate or heavier seaweed on the beach in an estimated 11% of weeks). Landings vary by year, wind and currents.
How warm is the water at Crystal Palace?
About 84°F in November. The sea is warmest in September and October (about 86°F) and coolest in February and March (about 80°F).
When is the best time to visit Crystal Palace?
For warm water and dry weather, aim for January through June. June is usually the quietest of those, with about 11 rainy days and a sea near 84°F.
When is hurricane season at Crystal Palace, and how often do storms hit?
The Atlantic hurricane season runs June through November and peaks around September. A tropical storm passed within 86 miles of Crystal Palace in 24 of the 55 seasons from 1971 to 2025, and a hurricane within 58 miles in 8. The riskiest stretch is around August 27, when the chance of a storm passing in any one week is about 6%; across all of September it is about 17%. Flexible bookings and travel insurance help in the peak weeks.
Sargassum season at Crystal Palace
Low sargassum risk year-round at Crystal Palace: even around July, the usual peak, Veabird estimates moderate or heavier seaweed on the beach in about 11% of weeks. Actual landings vary a lot by year, wind and currents; check the live conditions above.
Estimated share of weeks in each month with moderate or heavier seaweed on the beach. Veabird takes the landing season seen on Quintana Roo's beaches (a Puerto Morelos beach camera, 2015–2020, and the Mexican Navy's beach alerts, 2022–2026), the nearest coast with a multi-year beach record (this one has none), and scales it by how often NOAA AOML satellites see notable seaweed within about 20 km of this stretch of coast: 9% of weeks here on average, against 54% off Quintana Roo, so 17% of that season. The satellite share (2016–2024, the top fifth of all coast-weeks, adjusted for this beach's exposure of 34%) measures seaweed offshore, not on the sand: off the Riviera Maya it reads high even in winter, when little lands. Very low under 10%, Low 10–24%, Moderate 25–44%, High 45–69%, Very high 70%+. Beach faces 159°; onshore winds from that direction push seaweed ashore. Satellite sargassum data: USF Optical Oceanography Lab (Sargassum Watch System) via NOAA AOML. The satellite record as open data.
The US Virgin Islands month by month
Typical weather, water temperature, seaweed and crowds for every month: the best time to visit the US Virgin Islands.
- The US Virgin Islands in January
- The US Virgin Islands in February
- The US Virgin Islands in March
- The US Virgin Islands in April
- The US Virgin Islands in May
- The US Virgin Islands in June
- The US Virgin Islands in July
- The US Virgin Islands in August
- The US Virgin Islands in September
- The US Virgin Islands in October
- The US Virgin Islands in November
- The US Virgin Islands in December
Weather, water & seaweed by month at Crystal Palace
Average highs run from about 79°F in January, February, March and April to 84°F in August, September and October. The sea is warmest in September and October (about 86°F) and coolest in February and March (about 80°F). March is usually the driest, with about 10 rainy days; October is the wettest, with about 17 rainy days.
| Month | Avg high | Sea | Rainy days | Sargassum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 79°F | 81°F | 11 | Very low |
| Feb | 79°F | 80°F | 12 | Very low |
| Mar | 79°F | 80°F | 10 | Very low |
| Apr | 79°F | 81°F | 12 | Very low |
| May | 82°F | 83°F | 12 | Very low |
| Jun | 83°F | 84°F | 11 | Low |
| Jul | 83°F | 84°F | 14 | Low |
| Aug | 84°F | 85°F | 15 | Very low |
| Sep | 84°F | 86°F | 15 | Very low |
| Oct | 84°F | 86°F | 17 | Very low |
| Nov | 82°F | 84°F | 16 | Very low |
| Dec | 81°F | 82°F | 13 | Very low |
Monthly averages from 6 years of ERA5 reanalysis (Open-Meteo) for this area's 0.5° grid cell; rainy days have at least 1 mm (0.04 in). Sargassum is the typical-year estimate described above. Any given year can differ.
Cleanup & barriers
- Offshore barriers
- No offshore barriers; occasional booms at a few resorts
- Public cleanup
- Territorial DPNR / hotel crews rake affected beaches; east-end St. Croix and St. Thomas bays hit hardest
- Resort crews
- Large resorts clear frontage daily in season
- Typical clearing time
- Same-day at resorts; public beaches can lag days
Safety notes
US territory - no State Dept advisory (verify local guidance)
- Petty theft and car break-ins; avoid isolated areas at night in Charlotte Amalie and Christiansted
- Drive on the left; steep, narrow roads
- 2017 Irma/Maria showed high hurricane exposure Aug-Oct
Check official advisories and local flags before swimming. Decomposing sargassum releases hydrogen sulfide; avoid heavy piles.
Things to do near Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, VI
- Trunk Bay underwater trail (St. John)
- Virgin Islands National Park hikes
- Magens Bay
- Buck Island Reef National Monument
- Christiansted historic district
- Day sail to the BVI
Fly in for the best beach days
Suggested dates are a week in October. Change them to match the live forecast above.
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Nearest airports
- Cyril E. King (St. Thomas) (STT), ~4 km
Nearby resorts
- Windward Passage Hotel Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, VI · 0 km
- Frenchman's Reef Marriott (Morning Star Beach) Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, VI · 2 km
- Marriott’s Frenchmen Cove Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, VI · 3 km
- The Westin Beach Resort & Spa at Frenchman's Reef Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, VI · 3 km
- Magens Bay Beach Area Magens Bay, St. Thomas, VI · 3 km
- Emerald Beach Resort Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, VI · 3 km
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