How often do conditions match?

No opportunity windows are predicted in the next 10 days. Conditions can change quickly, so check back for updates.

More Dramatic Seascapes in California Coast

Rule Dramatic Seascapes

Mendocino - Dramatic Seascapes - California Coast

Q: What conditions does Dramatic Seascapes look for?

Coastal Drama Score: ≥ 75.0%. Significant Wave Height: ≥ 1.5m. Visibility: ≥ 5000.0m. Wind Gusts: ≤ 22.0m/s. Precipitation Chance: ≤ 30.0%

Mendocino City, California, United States

Dramatic coastal photography conditions - powerful waves combined with atmospheric drama and good visibility for seascape shots.

No opportunities right now

Here’s what usually blocks matches

No Dramatic Seascapes opportunities in the next 14 days

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Rule requirements (key thresholds)

Coastal Drama Score · ≥ 75.0% Significant Wave Height · ≥ 1.5m Visibility · ≥ 5000.0m Wind Gusts · ≤ 22.0m/s

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

Most common blockers (next 72 hours)

Coastal Drama Score 100% failing

Significant Wave Height 100% failing

Precipitation Chance 65% failing

Currently

Real-time conditions

Coastal Drama Score

Wave Height0.0m

Swell Height0.1m

Wind Speed8.5m/s (moderate winds)

Cloud Cover100%

Upcoming Opportunities

When all conditions match, PhotoWeather marks an opportunity window.

Times shown in America/Los_Angeles

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 identifies when dramatic conditions align for coastal photography along California's legendary shoreline. We track cloud drama, visibility, and wind patterns to predict when the coast will come alive with photogenic conditions.

California's 840-mile coastline offers endless variety—from the towering cliffs of Big Sur to the sea stacks of Mendocino to the coves of Laguna Beach. The interplay between Pacific weather systems and the coastal mountains creates ever-changing conditions that can transform familiar locations.

What makes the California coast special for dramatic photography:

Dynamic weather - Pacific storms bring dramatic skies, and clearing conditions create spectacular light
Diverse geography - Sea stacks, arches, waterfalls, cliffs, and beaches in endless variety
Fog and mist - Marine layer creates moody atmosphere, especially summer mornings
Year-round access - Mild climate means photography opportunities in every season

The best dramatic conditions often occur during and after winter storms (November-March), when clearing skies can produce spectacular light. Summer brings reliable morning fog that burns off by midday, creating soft, ethereal conditions. Wind patterns affect wave action—some drama is good, but excessive gusts make shooting difficult. Check our forecast to time your coastal adventures.

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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 America/Los_Angeles	Coastal Drama Score ≥ 75.0%	Significant Wave Height ≥ 1.5m	Visibility ≥ 5000.0m	Wind Gusts ≤ 22.0m/s	Precipitation Chance ≤ 30.0%
Mon, Feb 16
05:00	13%	1.8m	24134m	3.4m/s	74%
06:00	9.1%	1.8m	24135m	3.3m/s	66%
07:00	30%	1.8m	24135m	3.5m/s	58%
08:00	26%	1.6m	24135m	2.2m/s	63%
09:00	19%	1.3m	24134m	1.4m/s	69%
10:00	7.1%	0.51m	24135m	0.8m/s	74%
11:00	12%	1m	24135m	3m/s	54%
12:00	12%	1.1m	24134m	5m/s	36%
13:00	8.3%	0.43m	24135m	6.7m/s	18%
14:00	14%	1m	24134m	7.4m/s	30%
15:00	11%	0.21m	24134m	10m/s	43%
16:00	11%	0.08m	24134m	12m/s	56%
17:00	14%	0.09m	24134m	12m/s	67%
18:00	12%	0.1m	24134m	14m/s	78%
19:00	4.3%	0.11m	24135m	13m/s	89%
20:00	4.5%	0.03m	24134m	12m/s	93%
21:00	3.6%	0.03m	24134m	11m/s	96%
22:00	3.8%	0.02m	24134m	10m/s	100%
23:00	3.5%	0.05m	24134m	8.8m/s	100%
Tue, Feb 17
24:00	2.5%	0.03m	17171m	8.3m/s	100%
01:00	2.7%	0.03m	13917m	8.6m/s	100%
02:00	2.8%	0.01m	16269m	12m/s	100%
03:00	2.1%	0.01m	5853m	16m/s	100%
04:00	2.7%	0.01m	8759m	13m/s	100%
05:00	3.6%	0.02m	24120m	11m/s	100%
06:00	3.3%	0.02m	22530m	11m/s	100%
07:00	9.6%	0.03m	11051m	12m/s	100%
08:00	7.4%	0.03m	9001m	10m/s	100%
09:00	7.4%	0.04m	16599m	10m/s	100%
10:00	8.6%	0.04m	21483m	9.6m/s	100%
11:00	7%	0.04m	11023m	9.9m/s	100%
12:00	6.2%	0.04m	21360m	9.4m/s	100%
13:00	4%	0.04m	9344m	9.8m/s	100%
14:00	5.7%	0.03m	11223m	9.9m/s	100%
15:00	5.6%	0.03m	19360m	8.9m/s	100%
16:00	5%	0.02m	10355m	8.8m/s	100%
17:00	4.5%	0.02m	9592m	8.7m/s	99%
18:00	6.5%	0.01m	10051m	8.3m/s	99%
19:00	2.2%	0.01m	12249m	7.6m/s	98%
20:00	1.8%	0.01m	11874m	8m/s	99%
21:00	1.3%	0.01m	9721m	7.5m/s	99%
22:00	2%	0.01m	17871m	7m/s	100%
23:00	1.8%	0.01m	13880m	7.1m/s	90%
Wed, Feb 18
24:00	1.6%	0.01m	10334m	5.3m/s	81%
01:00	1.8%	0.01m	10330m	5.4m/s	72%
02:00	0.9%	0.01m	9241m	5.2m/s	71%
03:00	1.2%	0.01m	11721m	4m/s	70%
04:00	2.2%	0.01m	13735m	3.7m/s	68%
05:00	3.3%	0.01m	13319m	2.6m/s	53%
06:00	3.4%	0.02m	24135m	2.7m/s	38%
07:00	9.6%	0.02m	24134m	2.6m/s	22%
08:00	10%	0.02m	24135m	2.3m/s	21%
09:00	9.8%	0.03m	24134m	1.9m/s	20%
10:00	9.2%	0.03m	24134m	1m/s	18%
11:00	7.3%	0.05m	24134m	1.7m/s	31%
12:00	9.1%	0.07m	24134m	2m/s	44%
13:00	8.6%	0.09m	24135m	2.1m/s	57%
14:00	7.5%	0.1m	24134m	2.6m/s	66%
15:00	8.6%	0.11m	24135m	3.3m/s	75%
16:00	9.8%	0.12m	24134m	2.8m/s	84%
17:00	12%	0.12m	24134m	2.3m/s	82%
18:00	7.6%	0.13m	24134m	2.9m/s	80%
19:00	2.3%	0.13m	24134m	3.7m/s	78%
20:00	2.4%	0.12m	24132m	4.2m/s	82%
21:00	2.4%	0.11m	24135m	4.5m/s	86%
22:00	2.6%	0.1m	24134m	5.4m/s	91%
23:00	3.2%	0.08m	24134m	6.1m/s	92%
Thu, Feb 19
24:00	3.4%	0.07m	24135m	4.7m/s	93%
01:00	3%	0.05m	24135m	4.3m/s	95%
02:00	2.4%	0.04m	24135m	4.3m/s	96%
03:00	2.8%	0.04m	24135m	4.1m/s	96%
04:00	3%	0.03m	24135m	3.6m/s	97%
05:00	2.7%	0.03m	24134m	3.6m/s	75%
06:00	3%	0.02m	24134m	4.1m/s	52%
07:00	7.7%	0.02m	21808m	1.2m/s	30%
08:00	1.7%	0.02m	1995m	3m/s	26%
09:00	2.3%	0.01m	236m	4.6m/s	22%
10:00	4.7%	0.01m	181m	2.3m/s	18%
11:00	6.1%	0.01m	8166m	6.8m/s	12%
12:00	8.1%	0.01m	16150m	11m/s	6.1%
13:00	8.6%	0.01m	24135m	16m/s	0%
14:00	8.6%	0.01m	24135m	15m/s	0%
15:00	9.6%	0.01m	24135m	14m/s	0%
16:00	16%	0.01m	24135m	13m/s	0%
17:00	9.4%	0.03m	24135m	12m/s	0%
18:00	9.4%	0.06m	24135m	11m/s	0%
19:00	5%	0.08m	24135m	9.9m/s	0%
20:00	4.3%	0.1m	24135m	8.3m/s	0%
21:00	4.8%	0.13m	24135m	6.6m/s	0%
22:00	2.9%	0.15m	24135m	5m/s	0%
23:00	2.5%	0.14m	24135m	4.1m/s	2.3%
Fri, Feb 20
24:00	2.5%	0.12m	24135m	3.3m/s	4.7%
01:00	2.4%	0.11m	24135m	2.5m/s	7%
02:00	2.5%	0.13m	24135m	2.2m/s	18%
03:00	3%	0.15m	24135m	1.9m/s	28%

How to read: colored cells show whether each predicate requirement is met; highlighted rows mean the full rule matched (an opportunity).

What does Coastal Drama Score 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 America/Los_Angeles	High Clouds %	Low Clouds %	Mid-Level Clouds %	Primary Swell Height m	Primary Wave Direction °	Sea Salt AOD (550nm)	Solar Elevation °	Total Cloud Coverage %	Wind Direction °	Wind Speed m/s	Wind Wave Height m	Wind Wave Period s
Tue, Feb 17 Sunrise 07:04 Sunset 17:53
05:00 ☾	0%	100%	100%	0.06m	76°	0.14	-25°	100%	249°	8.5m/s	0.1m	1.4s
06:00 ☾	0%	61%	100%	0.06m	79°	0.11	-13°	100%	258°	7.7m/s	0.08m	1.3s
07:00 ☾	0%	100%	100%	0.07m	82°	0.1	-1.4°	100%	262°	9.8m/s	0.07m	1.3s
08:00 ☾	0%	99%	100%	0.06m	74°	0.1	9.5°	100%	267°	8.3m/s	0.06m	1.3s
09:00 ☾	0%	53%	100%	0.06m	66°	0.09	20°	100%	265°	8.3m/s	0.06m	1.3s
10:00 ☾	0%	7%	92%	0.05m	58°	0.11	28°	92%	275°	7.7m/s	0.05m	1.3s
11:00 ☾	0%	66%	91%	0.05m	65°	0.12	35°	91%	274°	8.2m/s	0.06m	1.4s
12:00 ☾	0%	92%	100%	0.05m	72°	0.25	39°	100%	276°	6.8m/s	0.06m	1.5s
13:00 ☾	0%	100%	100%	0.05m	79°	0.19	38°	100%	268°	8.5m/s	0.07m	1.6s
14:00 ☾	0%	100%	100%	0.05m	77°	0.14	35°	100%	270°	7.6m/s	0.07m	1.6s
15:00 ☾	0%	91%	100%	0.06m	75°	0.13	28°	100%	285°	7m/s	0.06m	1.6s
16:00 ☾	0%	90%	100%	0.06m	73°	0.12	19°	100%	299°	7.1m/s	0.06m	1.6s
17:00 ☾	0%	97%	100%	0.06m	72°	0.1	9.2°	100%	301°	6.9m/s	0.06m	1.6s
18:00 ☾	0%	100%	100%	0.06m	70°	0.12	-1.7°	100%	303°	6.4m/s	0.06m	1.6s
19:00 ☾	0%	95%	100%	0.06m	68°	0.12	-13°	100%	310°	5.3m/s	0.06m	1.5s
20:00 ☾	0%	66%	100%	0.08m	58°	0.11	-25°	100%	311°	5.6m/s	0.07m	1.5s
21:00 ☾	0%	100%	100%	0.09m	48°	0.09	-36°	100%	312°	5m/s	0.07m	1.4s
22:00 ☾	0%	87%	99%	0.11m	38°	0.09	-47°	99%	320°	4.7m/s	0.08m	1.3s
23:00 ☾	0%	32%	100%	0.1m	32°	0.09	-56°	100%	325°	4.2m/s	0.08m	1.3s
Wed, Feb 18 Sunrise 07:03 Sunset 17:54
24:00 ☾	0%	100%	100%	0.1m	26°	0.09	-62°	100%	346°	3.4m/s	0.07m	1.2s
01:00 ☾	0%	98%	100%	0.09m	21°	0.09	-61°	100%	347°	2.9m/s	0.07m	1.2s
02:00 ☾	0%	92%	100%	0.08m	14°	0.09	-56°	100%	2°	2.8m/s	0.06m	1.1s
03:00 ☾	0%	49%	97%	0.07m	7.4°	0.11	-47°	97%	8°	2.6m/s	0.06m	1.1s
04:00 ☾	0%	11%	22%	0.06m	0.9°	0.1	-36°	22%	31°	2.4m/s	0.05m	1.1s
05:00 ☾	0%	13%	41%	0.06m	2.9°	-	-24°	41%	74°	2.8m/s	0.06m	1.1s
06:00 ☾	0%	52%	70%	0.05m	4.9°	-	-13°	74%	89°	2.8m/s	0.07m	1.1s
07:00 ☾	2%	50%	90%	0.05m	6.9°	-	-1.1°	90%	90°	2.7m/s	0.08m	1.1s
08:00 ☾	5%	29%	76%	0.05m	7.6°	-	9.7°	76%	90°	2.4m/s	0.07m	1.1s
09:00 ☾	5%	13%	49%	0.06m	8.3°	-	20°	49%	95°	2m/s	0.07m	1.1s
10:00 ☾	25%	5%	5%	0.06m	9°	-	29°	25%	108°	1.3m/s	0.06m	1.1s
11:00 ☾	4%	5%	6%	0.06m	19°	-	35°	6%	218°	1m/s	0.08m	1.2s
12:00 ☾	0%	2%	29%	0.06m	28°	-	39°	29%	234°	1.9m/s	0.09m	1.4s
13:00 ☾	0%	18%	88%	0.06m	38°	-	39°	88%	239°	2.4m/s	0.11m	1.5s
14:00 ☾	0%	54%	90%	0.06m	45°	-	35°	90%	256°	2.9m/s	0.12m	1.7s
15:00 ☾	0%	73%	85%	0.07m	52°	-	28°	85%	267°	2.9m/s	0.14m	1.9s
16:00 ☾	0%	93%	87%	0.07m	60°	-	20°	93%	264°	2.2m/s	0.15m	2.1s
17:00 ☾	0%	85%	85%	0.07m	60°	-	9.5°	86%	221°	1.3m/s	0.15m	2.1s
18:00 ☾	0%	100%	100%	0.07m	60°	-	-1.4°	100%	166°	1.9m/s	0.15m	2.2s
19:00 ☾	0%	100%	100%	0.07m	60°	-	-13°	100%	156°	2.6m/s	0.15m	2.2s
20:00 ☾	0%	100%	100%	0.08m	61°	-	-25°	100%	141°	2.7m/s	0.14m	2.2s
21:00 ☾	0%	96%	98%	0.09m	61°	-	-36°	98%	122°	2.9m/s	0.12m	2.1s
22:00 ☾	0%	89%	100%	0.1m	61°	-	-47°	100%	128°	3.3m/s	0.11m	2.1s
23:00 ☾	0%	47%	86%	0.09m	61°	-	-56°	86%	119°	3.4m/s	0.09m	2s
Thu, Feb 19 Sunrise 07:01 Sunset 17:55
24:00 ☾	0%	61%	71%	0.07m	61°	-	-61°	72%	107°	3.1m/s	0.07m	2s
01:00 ☾	0%	53%	91%	0.06m	60°	-	-61°	91%	102°	3.3m/s	0.05m	1.9s
02:00 ☾	3%	5%	100%	0.06m	50°	-	-55°	100%	87°	3.3m/s	0.05m	1.8s
03:00 ☾	23%	5%	100%	0.07m	41°	-	-46°	100%	91°	3.2m/s	0.05m	1.6s
04:00 ☾	1%	13%	92%	0.07m	31°	-	-36°	92%	96°	3m/s	0.05m	1.5s
05:00 ☾	91%	60%	98%	0.07m	30°	-	-24°	99%	96°	3.1m/s	0.06m	1.4s
06:00 ☾	0%	64%	77%	0.08m	29°	-	-13°	88%	109°	3.2m/s	0.06m	1.4s
07:00 ☾	0%	100%	84%	0.08m	28°	-	-0.85°	100%	119°	0.82m/s	0.07m	1.4s
08:00 ☾	0%	100%	100%	0.08m	110°	-	10°	100%	114°	2.3m/s	0.07m	1.3s
09:00 ☾	0%	100%	98%	0.08m	193°	-	20°	100%	102°	4.2m/s	0.06m	1.2s
10:00 ☾	0%	100%	100%	0.08m	275°	-	29°	100%	90°	2.6m/s	0.06m	1.1s
11:00 ☾	0%	68%	67%	0.08m	244°	-	36°	68%	178°	6.1m/s	0.11m	1.5s
12:00 ☾	0%	37%	33%	0.09m	214°	-	39°	37%	266°	9.6m/s	0.15m	1.9s
13:00 ☾	0%	5%	0%	0.09m	184°	-	39°	5%	353°	13m/s	0.2m	2.4s
14:00 ☾	0%	5%	0%	0.09m	182°	-	35°	5%	352°	12m/s	0.15m	3.4s
15:00 ☾	0%	5%	0%	0.1m	179°	-	29°	5%	351°	12m/s	0.1m	4.3s
16:00 ☾	0%	5%	0%	0.1m	176°	-	20°	5%	350°	11m/s	0.05m	5.3s
17:00 ☾	2%	4%	0%	0.11m	223°	-	9.7°	5%	351°	9.8m/s	0.06m	3.9s
18:00 ☾	3%	2%	0%	0.13m	269°	-	-1.2°	5%	352°	8.7m/s	0.07m	2.5s
19:00 ☾	5%	1%	0%	0.14m	315°	-	-13°	5%	353°	7.6m/s	0.08m	1.1s
20:00 ☾	34%	2%	1%	0.14m	319°	-	-24°	34%	244°	6.3m/s	0.1m	1.3s
21:00 ☾	64%	2%	2%	0.13m	324°	-	-36°	64%	134°	5m/s	0.13m	1.6s
22:00 ☾	93%	3%	3%	0.13m	328°	-	-46°	93%	25°	3.7m/s	0.15m	1.8s
23:00 ☾	95%	3%	36%	0.12m	336°	-	-55°	95%	43°	3.5m/s	0.14m	1.8s
Fri, Feb 20 Sunrise 07:00 Sunset 17:56
24:00 ☾	98%	4%	68%	0.12m	344°	-	-61°	98%	62°	3.4m/s	0.12m	1.9s
01:00 ☾	100%	4%	100%	0.11m	352°	-	-61°	100%	81°	3.2m/s	0.11m	1.9s
02:00 ☾	93%	4%	100%	0.1m	354°	-	-55°	100%	101°	2.9m/s	0.13m	1.9s
03:00 ☾	86%	4%	100%	0.1m	356°	-	-46°	100%	121°	2.5m/s	0.15m	1.9s
04:00 ☾	78%	4%	100%	0.09m	358°	-	-35°	100%	142°	2.2m/s	0.17m	1.8s

How to read: these inputs help produce the derived score; they are not requirements by themselves.

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