Ürgüp - Painted Sky - Cappadocia
Golden hour clouds lit up in orange, pink and gold
Currently
Real-time conditionsUpcoming Opportunities
When all conditions match, PhotoWeather marks an opportunity window.
What this forecast looks for
Plain-language explanation from the ruleThis forecast tracks dramatic sunrise and sunset color conditions over Cappadocia's fairy chimney landscape and world-famous hot air balloon displays. We analyze cloud coverage patterns, atmospheric particles, and weather systems to predict when vivid sky colors combine with geological formations and aerial spectacles for extraordinary photography.
Cappadocia's high-altitude location, clean air, and dramatic volcanic landscape create exceptional conditions for painted sky photography. The region's morning balloon launches—with up to 150 balloons ascending simultaneously—add a dynamic human element to natural sky drama. The soft volcanic tuff reflects and amplifies sky colors.
What makes Cappadocia painted-sky photography special:
- Balloon-filled skies - Hundreds of colorful hot air balloons become subjects themselves against dramatic sunrise colors
- Volcanic rock reflection - Pink and red tuff formations in Rose Valley amplify and reflect sunset colors
- Castle rock silhouettes - Uçhisar and Ortahisar citadels create dramatic foreground shapes against vibrant skies
- Valley amplification - Deep volcanic valleys channel and concentrate light, intensifying color displays
Göreme valley during balloon launch provides Cappadocia's signature painted-sky experience—when conditions align, hundreds of balloons ascend through intensely colored sunrise skies above fairy chimneys. Rose Valley at sunset combines naturally pink volcanic rock with vivid sky colors for double intensity. Uçhisar Castle at dawn catches first light while eastern skies develop deep colors—shoot from surrounding viewpoints to silhouette the castle. Love Valley's distinctive formations become even more dramatic when framed against painted sunset skies. Sunset Point near Göreme offers elevated perspective for capturing fairy chimney clusters against western color displays. Spring and autumn provide the most reliable painted sky conditions with partial cloud coverage. Check balloon flight forecasts—painted skies are most powerful when balloons are flying.
Create your own Painted Sky alerts
Get notified when these conditions match at your own locations.
72-hour requirements breakdown
What passed or failed, hour by hourTime Europe/Istanbul | Golden Hour Any | Golden Clouds Potential ≥ 80.0% | Wind Speed ≤ 6.0m/s | Precipitation Chance ≤ 10.0% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Apr 5 | ||||
| 08:00 | ✕ | 27% | 1.3m/s | 79% |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 31% | 1.6m/s | 86% |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 33% | 1.9m/s | 88% |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 8.3% | 2.1m/s | 91% |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 28% | 2m/s | 93% |
| 13:00 | ✕ | 15% | 2.5m/s | 94% |
| 14:00 | ✕ | 10% | 4m/s | 95% |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 22% | 4.8m/s | 95% |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 36% | 5.3m/s | 71% |
| 17:00 | ✕ | 44% | 5.9m/s | 47% |
| 18:00 | ✓ | 50% | 5.8m/s | 22% |
| 19:00 | ✓ | 66% | 3.6m/s | 22% |
| 20:00 | ✕ | 34% | 3.6m/s | 22% |
| 21:00 | ✕ | 23% | 3.6m/s | 22% |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 23% | 2.9m/s | 15% |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 23% | 2.2m/s | 7.4% |
| Mon, Apr 6 | ||||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 23% | 2.3m/s | 0% |
| 01:00 | ✕ | 23% | 2.1m/s | 0% |
| 02:00 | ✕ | 23% | 2.2m/s | 0% |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 33% | 2m/s | 0% |
| 04:00 | ✕ | 34% | 1.9m/s | 0% |
| 05:00 | ✕ | 37% | 2m/s | 0% |
| 06:00 | ✓ | 33% | 1.8m/s | 0% |
| 07:00 | ✕ | 19% | 1.5m/s | 0% |
| 08:00 | ✕ | 14% | 1.8m/s | 0% |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 9.3% | 2.4m/s | 0% |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 35% | 2.9m/s | 17% |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 24% | 3.4m/s | 33% |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 9.4% | 3.3m/s | 50% |
| 13:00 | ✕ | 9.1% | 3.2m/s | 67% |
| 14:00 | ✕ | 9.3% | 3.6m/s | 83% |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 34% | 4.6m/s | 100% |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 18% | 6.6m/s | 67% |
| 17:00 | ✕ | 47% | 7m/s | 33% |
| 18:00 | ✓ | 66% | 6.5m/s | 0% |
| 19:00 | ✓ | 20% | 5.9m/s | 0% |
| 20:00 | ✕ | 9.1% | 2.7m/s | 0% |
| 21:00 | ✕ | 10% | 2m/s | 0% |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 9.3% | 1.7m/s | 0% |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 9.1% | 1.5m/s | 0% |
| Tue, Apr 7 | ||||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 9.1% | 1.4m/s | 0% |
| 01:00 | ✕ | 8.9% | 1.2m/s | 0% |
| 02:00 | ✕ | 9.7% | 1.2m/s | 0% |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 22% | 1.1m/s | 0% |
| 04:00 | ✕ | 17% | 0.74m/s | 1.2% |
| 05:00 | ✓ | 76% | 0.56m/s | 2.3% |
| 06:00 | ✓ | 20% | 0.44m/s | 3.5% |
| 07:00 | ✕ | 20% | 0.14m/s | 2.3% |
| 08:00 | ✕ | 14% | 0.24m/s | 1.2% |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 9.3% | 0.24m/s | 0% |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 12% | 0.28m/s | 0% |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 29% | 0.93m/s | 0% |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 9.3% | 1.5m/s | 0% |
| 13:00 | ✕ | 9.3% | 2.1m/s | 17% |
| 14:00 | ✕ | 28% | 3.2m/s | 33% |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 27% | 4.5m/s | 50% |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 18% | 4.1m/s | 33% |
| 17:00 | ✕ | 19% | 3.6m/s | 17% |
| 18:00 | ✓ | 21% | 3.1m/s | 0% |
| 19:00 | ✓ | 95% | 3m/s | 0% |
| 20:00 | ✕ | 43% | 2.9m/s | 0% |
| 21:00 | ✕ | 25% | 2.7m/s | 0% |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 23% | 2.7m/s | 0% |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 23% | 2.6m/s | 0% |
| Wed, Apr 8 | ||||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 23% | 2.5m/s | 0% |
| 01:00 | ✕ | 23% | 3.4m/s | 0% |
| 02:00 | ✕ | 27% | 4.2m/s | 0% |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 20% | 5m/s | 0% |
| 04:00 | ✕ | 35% | 6.5m/s | 7.4% |
| 05:00 | ✓ | 82% | 7.9m/s | 15% |
| 06:00 | ✓ | 88% | 9.3m/s | 22% |
| 07:00 | ✕ | 69% | 9.5m/s | 31% |
| 08:00 | ✕ | 41% | 9.7m/s | 41% |
What does Golden Clouds Potential mean?
Inputs that drive the scoreThis 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 Europe/Istanbul | Golden Hour | High Clouds % | Low Clouds % | Mid-Level Clouds % | Total Cloud Coverage % | Visibility m |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Apr 5
Sunrise 06:19
Sunset 19:07 | ||||||
| 10:00 | - | 5% | 48% | 0% | 48% | 24134m |
| 11:00 | - | 5% | 5% | 0% | 5% | 17453m |
| 12:00 | - | 7% | 30% | 0% | 30% | 13623m |
| 13:00 | - | 16% | 95% | 5% | 95% | 22223m |
| 14:00 | - | 10% | 100% | 8% | 100% | 24134m |
| 15:00 | - | 5% | 84% | 33% | 84% | 24135m |
| 16:00 | - | 34% | 18% | 2% | 36% | 16756m |
| 17:00 | - | 75% | 5% | 27% | 75% | 12490m |
| 18:00 | - | 95% | 4% | 71% | 95% | 24135m |
| 19:00 | - | 73% | 5% | 45% | 78% | 24134m |
| 20:00 ☾ | - | 70% | 5% | 47% | 71% | 24134m |
| 21:00 ☾ | - | 93% | 5% | 81% | 100% | 24134m |
| 22:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 5% | 83% | 100% | 24134m |
| 23:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 5% | 100% | 100% | 24134m |
| Mon, Apr 6
Sunrise 06:19
Sunset 19:07 | ||||||
| 24:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 5% | 100% | 100% | 24134m |
| 01:00 ☾ | - | 78% | 5% | 100% | 100% | 24134m |
| 02:00 ☾ | - | 23% | 4% | 92% | 92% | 24135m |
| 03:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 2% | 33% | 33% | 24134m |
| 04:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 1% | 54% | 54% | 24135m |
| 05:00 ☾ | - | 50% | 2% | 64% | 66% | 24135m |
| 06:00 ☾ | - | 10% | 2% | 13% | 13% | 24135m |
| 07:00 | - | 4% | 2% | 3% | 4% | 24135m |
| 08:00 | - | 5% | 3% | 2% | 5% | 24135m |
| 09:00 | - | 5% | 3% | 5% | 5% | 24135m |
| 10:00 | - | 5% | 5% | 43% | 43% | 24134m |
| 11:00 | - | 1% | 6% | 19% | 20% | 24135m |
| 12:00 | - | 0% | 5% | 3% | 5% | 24134m |
| 13:00 | - | 0% | 5% | 1% | 5% | 24135m |
| 14:00 | - | 0% | 5% | 0% | 5% | 24134m |
| 15:00 | - | 0% | 30% | 0% | 30% | 24135m |
| 16:00 | - | 0% | 76% | 0% | 76% | 24134m |
| 17:00 | - | 0% | 35% | 0% | 35% | 24134m |
| 18:00 | - | 0% | 30% | 0% | 30% | 24134m |
| 19:00 | - | 0% | 5% | 0% | 5% | 24135m |
| 20:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 5% | 0% | 5% | 24134m |
| 21:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 6% | 0% | 6% | 24134m |
| 22:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 5% | 0% | 5% | 24134m |
| 23:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 5% | 0% | 5% | 24134m |
| Tue, Apr 7
Sunrise 06:18
Sunset 19:08 | ||||||
| 24:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 5% | 0% | 5% | 24134m |
| 01:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 4% | 0% | 4% | 24134m |
| 02:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 2% | 4% | 6% | 24134m |
| 03:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 1% | 73% | 73% | 24135m |
| 04:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 0% | 83% | 83% | 24134m |
| 05:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 0% | 27% | 27% | 24135m |
| 06:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 2% | 4% | 5% | 24134m |
| 07:00 | - | 0% | 5% | 0% | 5% | 24135m |
| 08:00 | - | 4% | 5% | 0% | 5% | 24135m |
| 09:00 | - | 5% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 24135m |
| 10:00 | - | 5% | 0% | 9% | 9% | 24134m |
| 11:00 | - | 4% | 0% | 20% | 20% | 24134m |
| 12:00 | - | 5% | 4% | 2% | 5% | 24135m |
| 13:00 | - | 4% | 5% | 0% | 5% | 24135m |
| 14:00 | - | 4% | 22% | 0% | 22% | 24135m |
| 15:00 | - | 0% | 20% | 0% | 20% | 24134m |
| 16:00 | - | 2% | 14% | 2% | 15% | 24134m |
| 17:00 | - | 3% | 7% | 3% | 10% | 24135m |
| 18:00 | - | 5% | 0% | 5% | 5% | 24135m |
| 19:00 | - | 19% | 0% | 32% | 33% | 24135m |
| 20:00 ☾ | - | 33% | 0% | 60% | 60% | 24135m |
| 21:00 ☾ | - | 47% | 0% | 87% | 87% | 24135m |
| 22:00 ☾ | - | 61% | 2% | 91% | 91% | 24135m |
| 23:00 ☾ | - | 75% | 3% | 94% | 94% | 24135m |
| Wed, Apr 8
Sunrise 06:16
Sunset 19:09 | ||||||
| 24:00 ☾ | - | 89% | 4% | 98% | 98% | 24135m |
| 01:00 ☾ | - | 61% | 5% | 91% | 91% | 24135m |
| 02:00 ☾ | - | 33% | 5% | 84% | 84% | 24135m |
| 03:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 6% | 76% | 76% | 24135m |
| 04:00 ☾ | - | 17% | 24% | 70% | 73% | 24121m |
| 05:00 ☾ | - | 30% | 42% | 64% | 69% | 24108m |
| 06:00 ☾ | - | 42% | 60% | 57% | 66% | 24094m |
| 07:00 | - | 45% | 60% | 72% | 77% | 24108m |
| 08:00 | - | 49% | 60% | 86% | 89% | 24122m |
| 09:00 | - | 52% | 60% | 100% | 100% | 24135m |
Get Notified of Opportunities
Create your own custom alerts for this location and more.
Create Free Account