The Windward Lodge beach & sargassum forecast
Hopkins, BZ · Belize, Belize · 16.899, -88.061
Updated : high seaweed, beach grade B-, sea 84°F.
Veabird's call
Friday at B- with calm water is as good as it gets, high seaweed all week.
Beaches and Dreams, 14 mi away, grades B+ on Saturday while Friday here is B- with high seaweed.
Grades from Veabird's beach forecast; wording by AI (Muse Spark), checked against the forecast. Updated Nov 13, 01:00 UTC.
Tell me when The Windward Lodge 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 The Windward Lodge
Does Hopkins get sargassum (seaweed)?
Yes, in season. At The Windward Lodge the typical-year risk is moderate or higher from April to September and peaks in July (high). How much lands varies a lot by year, wind and currents.
What are the worst and best months for seaweed at The Windward Lodge?
Worst: July, when heavy seaweed is most likely. Best: October through March, when the risk is usually low.
How warm is the water at The Windward Lodge?
About 84°F in November. The sea is warmest in September and October (about 86°F) and coolest in January and February (about 81°F).
When is the best time to visit The Windward Lodge?
For warm water, low seaweed and dry weather, aim for February and March. February is usually the quietest of the two, with about 12 rainy days and a sea near 81°F; seaweed risk is low.
Does The Windward Lodge have a sargassum barrier or beach cleanup?
Veabird doesn't track barriers hotel by hotel; this is what the Belize area does. Offshore barriers in Belize: few booms; the Belize Barrier Reef breaks up but does not stop mats reaching caye shores. Resort crews: Upscale resorts rake frontage daily; smaller properties rely on hand crews. Typical clearing time: Frontage usually cleared by mid-morning; shallow backreef water can stay tea-colored for days.
When is hurricane season at The Windward Lodge, 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 The Windward Lodge in 16 of the 55 seasons from 1971 to 2025, and a hurricane within 58 miles in 8. The riskiest stretch is around October 8, when the chance of a storm passing in any one week is about 3%; across all of October it is about 11%. Flexible bookings and travel insurance help in the peak weeks.
Sargassum season at The Windward Lodge
Sargassum risk at The Windward Lodge typically peaks around July (high: moderate or heavier seaweed on the beach in an estimated 48% of weeks). Months most likely to see heavy seaweed: July. Lowest-risk months: January, February, March, 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: 40% of weeks here on average, against 54% off Quintana Roo, so 73% of that season. The satellite share (2016–2024, the top fifth of all coast-weeks, adjusted for this beach's exposure of 45%) 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 83°; 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.
Belize month by month
Typical weather, water temperature, seaweed and crowds for every month: the best time to visit Belize.
Weather, water & seaweed by month at The Windward Lodge
Average highs run from about 80°F in January and February to 86°F in September. The sea is warmest in September and October (about 86°F) and coolest in January and February (about 81°F). April is usually the driest, with about 6 rainy days; October and November are the wettest, with about 24 rainy days. Seaweed risk is usually lowest in October and highest in July.
| Month | Avg high | Sea | Rainy days | Sargassum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 80°F | 81°F | 18 | Very low |
| Feb | 80°F | 81°F | 12 | Low |
| Mar | 81°F | 82°F | 10 | Low |
| Apr | 82°F | 82°F | 6 | Moderate |
| May | 84°F | 84°F | 7 | Moderate |
| Jun | 85°F | 85°F | 17 | Moderate |
| Jul | 84°F | 85°F | 21 | High |
| Aug | 85°F | 85°F | 23 | Moderate |
| Sep | 86°F | 86°F | 23 | Moderate |
| Oct | 84°F | 86°F | 24 | Very low |
| Nov | 82°F | 84°F | 24 | Very low |
| Dec | 81°F | 83°F | 23 | 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
- Few booms; the Belize Barrier Reef breaks up but does not stop mats reaching caye shores.
- Public cleanup
- Village councils and Sargassum Task Force crews rake public beaches on Ambergris and Caye Caulker during heavy years.
- Resort crews
- Upscale resorts rake frontage daily; smaller properties rely on hand crews.
- Typical clearing time
- Frontage usually cleared by mid-morning; shallow backreef water can stay tea-colored for days.
Safety notes
US State Dept: Belize, Level 2 (verify)
- Petty theft and crime concentrated in Belize City; cayes and Placencia generally calmer
- Use licensed guides for reef and dive trips; check boat safety gear
- Golf carts are the main transport on Ambergris; roads unlit at night
Check official advisories and local flags before swimming. Decomposing sargassum releases hydrogen sulfide; avoid heavy piles.
Things to do near Hopkins, BZ
- Hol Chan Marine Reserve & Shark Ray Alley
- Great Blue Hole
- Caye Caulker Split
- Mayan sites (Altun Ha, Xunantunich)
- Cave tubing & ATM cave
- Laughing Bird Caye (Placencia)
Fly in for the best beach days
Suggested dates fall in October, typically the lowest-seaweed month ahead for The Windward Lodge. Change them to match the live forecast above.
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Nearest airports
- Dangriga (DGA), ~20 km
- Philip S. W. Goldson Intl (Belize City) (BZE), ~76 km
Nearby resorts
- Pals on the Beach Hopkins, BZ · 18 km
- Chaleanor Hotel Hopkins, BZ · 18 km
- Pelican Beach Resort Hopkins, BZ · 20 km
- Hopkins Bay Resort Hopkins, BZ · 22 km
- Beaches & Dreams Hopkins, BZ · 23 km
- Jaguar Reef & Almond Beach Hopkins, BZ · 23 km
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