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Rule Fire Sky

Kiama - Fire Sky - Australian Coast

Kiama, New South Wales, Australia

Those rare, intensely red and orange sunset skies

No opportunities right now
Here’s what usually blocks matches

No Fire Sky opportunities in the next 14 days

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Rule requirements (key thresholds)
Golden Hour · Any Fiery Red Sky Potential · ≥ 90.0% Precipitation Chance · ≤ 15.0% Visibility · ≥ 8000.0m

Tip: Scroll down to the 72-hour table to see exactly which condition fails hour by hour.

Most common blockers (next 72 hours)
Fiery Red Sky Potential 100% failing
Golden Hour 88% failing
Precipitation Chance 68% failing

Currently

Real-time conditions
Low Cloud Cover6%
Mid Cloud Cover100%
Aerosol Optical Depth0.1dimensionless
Sun Elevation-8.3° (Nautical twilight)

Upcoming Opportunities

When all conditions match, PhotoWeather marks an opportunity window.

Times shown in Australia/Sydney

No opportunities in the next 10 days

See the blocker timeline below to understand which conditions are preventing matches.

What this forecast looks for

Plain-language explanation from the rule

This forecast tracks the atmospheric conditions that create Australia's legendary fire skies—vivid red and orange sunsets intensified by bushfire smoke, dust, and tropical humidity. We monitor particulate levels, humidity, and atmospheric conditions to predict when the sky will ignite in extraordinary colors.

Australian fire skies result from several phenomena: bushfire smoke during fire season adds particles that scatter light dramatically, creating blood-red sunsets. Dust from the interior can create similar effects. The tropical and subtropical north brings high humidity that generates vivid colors even without smoke. When these factors align with cloud formations, the results can be otherworldly.

What makes Australian fire skies exceptional:

  • Bushfire season intensity - Summer and autumn bushfire smoke creates apocalyptic red sunsets across large areas
  • Dust effects - Interior dust storms occasionally reach the coast, creating dramatic atmospheric color
  • Tropical humidity - Queensland and northern NSW subtropical moisture generates vivid sunset colors
  • Urban reflections - Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane skylines silhouette against fire-colored skies

Best fire skies typically occur during bushfire season (November-March), though smoke impact varies annually based on fire conditions. Not every smoke-affected sunset is beautiful—heavy smoke can obscure the sun entirely—but moderate smoke levels create unforgettable colors. Tropical fire skies peak during humid summer months. Always monitor air quality; shooting during heavy smoke poses health risks.

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72-hour requirements breakdown

What passed or failed, hour by hour
0matching hours in the next 95 hours
AND logic: all conditions required
Meets requirement
Misses requirement
Time
Australia/Sydney
Golden Hour
Any
Fiery Red Sky Potential
≥ 90.0%
Precipitation Chance
≤ 15.0%
Visibility
≥ 8000.0m
Sun, Feb 22
06:0069%0%24135m
07:0075%0%24134m
08:000%0%24135m
09:000%9.9%24135m
10:000%20%24135m
11:000%30%24135m
12:000%35%21177m
13:000%54%21628m
14:000%72%24135m
15:000%75%19027m
16:000%79%24135m
17:000%82%24134m
18:000%61%23292m
19:0071%48%17703m
20:0069%35%24135m
21:000%32%23114m
22:000%29%19976m
23:000%26%24134m
Mon, Feb 23
24:000%31%18581m
01:000%22%6302m
02:000%14%24135m
03:000%24%24135m
04:000%35%24135m
05:000%46%24135m
06:0073%42%24134m
07:0065%37%24134m
08:000%33%24135m
09:000%43%24135m
10:000%52%24135m
11:000%61%24135m
12:000%46%24135m
13:000%32%24135m
14:000%17%24135m
15:000%19%24134m
16:000%21%24135m
17:000%24%24134m
18:000%20%24135m
19:0077%17%24134m
20:0077%14%24135m
21:000%26%24134m
22:000%38%24134m
23:000%50%24135m
Tue, Feb 24
24:000%33%24134m
01:000%17%24135m
02:000%0%24135m
03:000%0%24134m
04:000%0%24134m
05:000%0%24134m
06:0074%0%24135m
07:0082%0%24135m
08:000%0%24135m
09:000%0%24135m
10:000%0%24134m
11:000%0%24135m
12:000%0%24134m
13:000%0%18250m
14:000%0%22995m
15:000%7.4%24135m
16:000%15%24135m
17:000%22%24135m
18:000%15%24134m
19:0064%7.4%24134m
20:0070%0%24135m
21:000%0%24135m
22:000%0%24134m
23:000%0%24135m
Wed, Feb 25
24:000%10%24134m
01:000%20%24135m
02:000%30%24135m
03:000%26%24134m
04:000%21%24135m
05:000%17%24135m
06:0072%20%24134m
07:0072%23%24134m
08:000%26%24134m
09:000%33%23652m
10:000%41%19376m
11:000%48%20986m
12:000%54%16815m
13:000%60%12644m
14:000%66%8473m
15:000%69%12838m
16:000%72%17204m
17:000%75%21569m
18:000%73%22425m
19:0078%71%23280m
20:0064%69%24135m
21:000%76%20867m
22:000%82%17599m
23:000%89%14331m
Thu, Feb 26
24:000%83%13239m
01:000%77%12147m
02:000%71%11055m
03:000%73%11140m
04:000%75%11225m
How to read: colored cells show whether each predicate requirement is met; highlighted rows mean the full rule matched (an opportunity).

What does Fiery Red Sky Potential mean?

Inputs that drive the score

This derived score summarizes multiple raw weather signals. The table below shows the supporting inputs hour by hour, so you can see what's pushing the score up or down.

Time
Australia/Sydney
Aerosol Optical Depth (550nm)
Air Pressure
hPa
Dust AOD (550nm)
Golden Hour
High Clouds
%
Low Clouds
%
Mid-Level Clouds
%
RH @ 700 hPa
%
Relative Humidity
%
Smoke AOD (550nm)
Temperature
°C
Wind Speed
m/s
Ångström Exponent
Mon, Feb 23 Sunrise 06:38 Sunset 19:42
06:00
0.06 989hPa 0.001 - 100% 6% 100% 89% 94% 0.009 21°C 1.6m/s 1.6
07:00
0.08 990hPa 0.001 - 100% 98% 100% 89% 93% 0.01 21°C 1.4m/s 1.6
08:00
0.09 991hPa 0.001 - 100% 98% 100% 89% 91% 0.01 21°C 1.8m/s 1.6
09:00
0.1 992hPa 0.001 - 100% 86% 100% 86% 91% 0.01 21°C 1.6m/s 1.6
10:00
0.1 993hPa 0.001 - 0% 100% 100% 83% 89% 0.01 21°C 3.1m/s 1.6
11:00
0.11 994hPa 0.001 - 0% 99% 100% 80% 91% 0.02 21°C 4.5m/s 1.5
12:00
0.13 995hPa 0.001 - 0% 100% 76% 75% 91% 0.02 20°C 4.4m/s 1.4
13:00
0.18 995hPa 0.002 - 0% 100% 34% 71% 88% 0.02 20°C 4.2m/s 1.2
14:00
0.18 996hPa 0.001 - 0% 100% 100% 66% 86% 0.01 20°C 3.9m/s 1.1
15:00
0.18 996hPa 0.001 - 0% 100% 100% 67% 88% 0.01 19°C 3.1m/s 1.1
16:00
0.2 996hPa 0.001 - 0% 100% 65% 69% 88% 0.01 19°C 2.9m/s 1
17:00
0.21 997hPa 0.001 - 0% 100% 4% 70% 86% 0.01 19°C 2.8m/s 0.99
18:00
0.21 997hPa 0.001 - 0% 100% 66% 71% 83% 0.01 19°C 2.9m/s 1
19:00
0.23 998hPa 0.001 - 0% 100% 100% 73% 82% 0.01 19°C 2.9m/s 1
20:00
0.24 998hPa 0.001 - 0% 100% 100% 74% 81% 0.01 19°C 2.5m/s 1
21:00
0.24 999hPa 0.001 - 0% 100% 100% 78% 81% 0.01 19°C 2m/s 1.1
22:00
0.21 1000hPa 0.001 - 0% 100% 67% 83% 81% 0.01 19°C 1.8m/s 1.1
23:00
0.19 1000hPa 0.001 - 0% 100% 40% 88% 81% 0.01 18°C 1.7m/s 1.1
Tue, Feb 24 Sunrise 06:39 Sunset 19:41
24:00
0.18 999hPa 0.001 - 0% 100% 10% 84% 81% 0.01 18°C 1.6m/s 1
01:00
0.17 999hPa 0.001 - 0% 99% 5% 80% 81% 0.01 18°C 1.6m/s 1
02:00
0.16 998hPa 0.001 - 0% 100% 2% 77% 81% 0.01 18°C 1.6m/s 1
03:00
0.17 998hPa 0.001 - 0% 100% 0% 77% 82% 0.01 18°C 1.7m/s 1
04:00
0.18 997hPa 0.001 - 0% 100% 0% 77% 82% 0.01 18°C 1.6m/s 1
05:00
0.19 997hPa 0.001 - 0% 77% 0% 78% 82% 0.01 18°C 1.4m/s 1
06:00
0.19 998hPa 0.001 - 0% 51% 0% 76% 84% 0.01 18°C 1m/s 1.1
07:00
0.18 998hPa 0.001 - 0% 22% 0% 74% 87% 0.01 17°C 0.77m/s 1.1
08:00
0.19 999hPa 0.001 - 0% 5% 0% 72% 79% 0.01 20°C 0.42m/s 1.1
09:00
0.21 999hPa 0.001 - 0% 0% 1% 74% 70% 0.01 23°C 0.81m/s 1.1
10:00
0.2 998hPa 0.001 - 0% 7% 3% 76% 64% 0.009 25°C 2.1m/s 1.2
11:00
0.16 998hPa 0.001 - 0% 6% 2% 78% 59% 0.009 27°C 3.2m/s 1.3
12:00
- 997hPa - - 0% 3% 0% 80% 55% - 28°C 3.9m/s -
13:00
- 997hPa - - 0% 2% 3% 82% 54% - 29°C 4.3m/s -
14:00
- 996hPa - - 0% 2% 4% 83% 52% - 30°C 3.9m/s -
15:00
- 995hPa - - 0% 1% 13% 79% 52% - 30°C 3.8m/s -
16:00
- 995hPa - - 0% 0% 12% 75% 56% - 28°C 4.4m/s -
17:00
- 995hPa - - 0% 0% 6% 71% 65% - 26°C 4.4m/s -
18:00
- 995hPa - - 0% 0% 5% 75% 73% - 25°C 4.4m/s -
19:00
- 995hPa - - 0% 0% 5% 80% 82% - 24°C 4.3m/s -
20:00
- 996hPa - - 0% 0% 7% 84% 88% - 22°C 3.8m/s -
21:00
- 996hPa - - 0% 8% 20% 84% 91% - 22°C 3.6m/s -
22:00
- 996hPa - - 2% 4% 38% 84% 91% - 21°C 3.1m/s -
23:00
- 996hPa - - 0% 2% 78% 84% 93% - 20°C 2.6m/s -
Wed, Feb 25 Sunrise 06:39 Sunset 19:40
24:00
- 996hPa - - 0% 2% 11% 83% 93% - 20°C 2.4m/s -
01:00
- 996hPa - - 0% 0% 9% 82% 89% - 19°C 2.3m/s -
02:00
- 995hPa - - 0% 0% 5% 81% 86% - 19°C 2.2m/s -
03:00
- 995hPa - - 0% 0% 5% 81% 84% - 19°C 2.2m/s -
04:00
- 995hPa - - 0% 0% 5% 81% 83% - 19°C 2m/s -
05:00
- 995hPa - - 0% 0% 5% 81% 83% - 19°C 1.9m/s -
06:00
- 995hPa - - 0% 0% 5% 82% 81% - 19°C 1.9m/s -
07:00
- 996hPa - - 0% 1% 6% 83% 81% - 19°C 1.5m/s -
08:00
- 997hPa - - 0% 0% 74% 84% 70% - 21°C 0.81m/s -
09:00
- 997hPa - - 0% 3% 56% 83% 64% - 24°C 1.7m/s -
10:00
- 998hPa - - 0% 36% 84% 82% 74% - 23°C 2.1m/s -
11:00
- 997hPa - - 0% 29% 66% 82% 75% - 23°C 1.7m/s -
12:00
- 1003hPa - - 33% 53% 77% 83% 81% - 23°C 4.3m/s -
13:00
- 1009hPa - - 67% 76% 89% 83% 86% - 22°C 6.8m/s -
14:00
- 1015hPa - - 100% 100% 100% 84% 92% - 22°C 9.4m/s -
15:00
- 1016hPa - - 100% 100% 100% 89% 91% - 21°C 9.7m/s -
16:00
- 1017hPa - - 100% 100% 100% 94% 90% - 21°C 10m/s -
17:00
- 1017hPa - - 100% 100% 100% 99% 90% - 21°C 10m/s -
18:00
- 1017hPa - - 75% 98% 68% 92% 90% - 21°C 11m/s -
19:00
- 1017hPa - - 50% 95% 36% 85% 90% - 20°C 11m/s -
20:00
- 1016hPa - - 25% 93% 3% 78% 90% - 20°C 11m/s -
21:00
- 1016hPa - - 49% 95% 4% 77% 90% - 20°C 11m/s -
22:00
- 1016hPa - - 73% 98% 4% 77% 91% - 21°C 11m/s -
23:00
- 1016hPa - - 97% 100% 4% 76% 91% - 21°C 10m/s -
Thu, Feb 26 Sunrise 06:40 Sunset 19:38
24:00
- 1016hPa - - 65% 100% 4% 76% 90% - 21°C 11m/s -
01:00
- 1017hPa - - 32% 100% 4% 75% 88% - 22°C 11m/s -
02:00
- 1017hPa - - 0% 100% 3% 75% 86% - 22°C 11m/s -
03:00
- 1017hPa - - 0% 100% 2% 75% 86% - 22°C 12m/s -
04:00
- 1017hPa - - 0% 100% 1% 75% 86% - 22°C 12m/s -
05:00
- 1018hPa - - 0% 100% 0% 75% 86% - 22°C 12m/s -
How to read: these inputs help produce the derived score; they are not requirements by themselves.

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