Meliá Habana beach & sargassum forecast
La Habana, CU · Cuba: Varadero & Havana, Cuba · 23.109, -82.443
Updated : high seaweed, beach grade B, sea 84°F.
Veabird's call
Go Monday for B+, mostly dry with 83°F water and low seaweed after cleanup.
March usually brings the lowest seaweed, February and March grade A-, and crowds peak in February.
Grades from Veabird's beach forecast; wording by AI (Muse Spark), checked against the forecast. Updated Nov 13, 01:00 UTC.
Tell me when Meliá Habana 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 Meliá Habana
Does La Habana get sargassum (seaweed)?
Yes, in season. At Meliá Habana the typical-year risk is moderate or higher from May to August and peaks in July (moderate). How much lands varies a lot by year, wind and currents.
What are the worst and best months for seaweed at Meliá Habana?
Worst: June and July, though even then the typical risk is moderate. Best: September through April, when the risk is usually low.
How warm is the water at Meliá Habana?
About 83°F in November. The sea is warmest in August and September (about 87°F) and coolest in February (about 78°F).
When is the best time to visit Meliá Habana?
For warm water, low seaweed and dry weather, aim for November through April. November is usually the quietest of those, with about 10 rainy days and a sea near 83°F; seaweed risk is very low.
Does Meliá Habana have a sargassum barrier or beach cleanup?
Veabird doesn't track barriers hotel by hotel; this is what the Cuba: Varadero & Havana area does. Offshore barriers in Cuba: Varadero & Havana: none. Resort crews: Hotel crews rake daily. Typical clearing time: same-day to 2 days.
When is hurricane season at Meliá Habana, 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 Meliá Habana in 18 of the 55 seasons from 1971 to 2025, and a hurricane within 58 miles in 6. The riskiest stretch is around August 20, when the chance of a storm passing in any one week is about 3%; across all of August it is about 10%. Flexible bookings and travel insurance help in the peak weeks.
Sargassum season at Meliá Habana
Sargassum risk at Meliá Habana typically peaks around July (moderate: moderate or heavier seaweed on the beach in an estimated 37% of weeks). Lowest-risk months: January, February, March, April, September, October, November and December. 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: 31% of weeks here on average, against 54% off Quintana Roo, so 57% of that season. The satellite share (2016–2024, the top fifth of all coast-weeks, adjusted for this beach's exposure of 30%) 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 314°; 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.
Varadero & Havana month by month
Typical weather, water temperature, seaweed and crowds for every month: the best time to visit Varadero & Havana.
- Varadero & Havana in January
- Varadero & Havana in February
- Varadero & Havana in March
- Varadero & Havana in April
- Varadero & Havana in May
- Varadero & Havana in June
- Varadero & Havana in July
- Varadero & Havana in August
- Varadero & Havana in September
- Varadero & Havana in October
- Varadero & Havana in November
- Varadero & Havana in December
Weather, water & seaweed by month at Meliá Habana
Average highs run from about 80°F in January to 92°F in July. The sea is warmest in August and September (about 87°F) and coolest in February (about 78°F). February is usually the driest, with about 6 rainy days; June and September are the wettest, with about 23 rainy days. Seaweed risk is usually lowest in October and highest in July.
| Month | Avg high | Sea | Rainy days | Sargassum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 80°F | 80°F | 9 | Very low |
| Feb | 82°F | 78°F | 6 | Low |
| Mar | 85°F | 80°F | 10 | Low |
| Apr | 87°F | 80°F | 8 | Low |
| May | 90°F | 83°F | 17 | Moderate |
| Jun | 90°F | 85°F | 23 | Moderate |
| Jul | 92°F | 86°F | 19 | Moderate |
| Aug | 91°F | 87°F | 19 | Moderate |
| Sep | 89°F | 87°F | 23 | Low |
| Oct | 87°F | 85°F | 18 | Very low |
| Nov | 84°F | 83°F | 10 | Very low |
| Dec | 81°F | 82°F | 8 | 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
- None.
- Public cleanup
- Resort crews on Varadero peninsula.
- Resort crews
- Hotel crews rake daily.
- Typical clearing time
- same-day to 2 days
Safety notes
US State Dept: Cuba, Level 2; US travel restrictions apply
- Power outages and fuel shortages affect services.
- Bring cash; US cards generally not accepted.
Check official advisories and local flags before swimming. Decomposing sargassum releases hydrogen sulfide; avoid heavy piles.
Things to do near La Habana, CU
- Varadero beach
- Matanzas city
- Havana (2 hr)
- Cayo Blanco catamaran trips
Fly in for the best beach days
Suggested dates fall in October, typically the lowest-seaweed month ahead for Meliá Habana. Change them to match the live forecast above.
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Nearest airports
- Havana José Martí Intl (HAV), ~14 km
Nearby resorts
- Hotel Neptuno-Tritón Havana, CU · 0 km
- Hotel Comodoro La Habana, CU · 0 km
- Hotel Gran Muthu Habana La Habana, CU · 1 km
- Miramar Villa Frank Havana, CU · 4 km
- Habana Riviera by Iberostar La Habana, CU · 5 km
- Hotel El Viejo y el Mar Havana, CU · 5 km
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