Old Harry Rocks - Blue Hour - Dorset & Jurassic Coast
When city lights balance with the deep blue twilight sky
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 twilight conditions that transform the Jurassic Coast's landmarks into atmospheric scenes. We combine cloud cover, visibility, and twilight timing to predict optimal blue hour opportunities for lighthouse photography, natural arch silhouettes, and coastal twilight compositions.
The Jurassic Coast's dramatic geology creates powerful silhouettes during blue hour, while Portland Bill lighthouse provides one of Britain's finest twilight lighthouse compositions. The clean marine atmosphere along this coast often produces clear twilight skies with rich color gradients.
What makes the Jurassic Coast special for blue-hour photography:
- Portland Bill - Red-and-white striped lighthouse beam cutting through dusk, dramatic tidal race visible below
- Durdle Door - Limestone arch silhouetted against colorful twilight, long exposures smooth the sea
- Swanage Pier - Victorian pier lights reflecting in calm bay water, Purbeck Hills backdrop
- Old Harry Rocks - Chalk sea stacks profiled against eastern twilight glow
Portland Bill lighthouse offers Britain's finest lighthouse blue hour composition—the distinctive red-and-white striped tower sends its beam across darkening waters while the tidal race creates texture below. The lighthouse is accessible year-round, with the visitor center providing context. Durdle Door becomes a dramatic silhouette during blue hour—the arch perfectly frames remaining light on the western horizon. Long exposures smooth the sea into misty layers around the limestone. Swanage's Victorian pier with its period lighting creates nostalgic twilight compositions, with lights reflecting in the bay. Lulworth Cove takes on serene quality at twilight, with limestone cliffs darkening as the sky retains color. The timing requires planning—arrive well before sunset to compose, then shoot through the 20-30 minute blue hour window when artificial and natural light balance. Spring and autumn offer the most colorful twilights, while winter's earlier blue hour means shooting in milder conditions.
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72-hour requirements breakdown
What passed or failed, hour by hourTime Europe/London | Blue Hour Any | Blue Hour Quality ≥ 65.0% | Precipitation Chance ≤ 15.0% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Apr 17 | |||
| 14:00 | ✕ | 15% | 2.3% |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 15% | 4.7% |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 15% | 7% |
| 17:00 | ✕ | 15% | 18% |
| 18:00 | ✕ | 15% | 28% |
| 19:00 | ✕ | 15% | 39% |
| 20:00 | ✓ | 31% | 26% |
| 21:00 | ✕ | 25% | 0% |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 14% | 0% |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 19% | 0% |
| Sat, Apr 18 | |||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 17% | 0% |
| 01:00 | ✕ | 21% | 0% |
| 02:00 | ✕ | 19% | 0% |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 29% | 8.7% |
| 04:00 | ✕ | 26% | 0% |
| 05:00 | ✓ | 64% | 0% |
| 06:00 | ✕ | 46% | 0% |
| 07:00 | ✕ | 22% | 0% |
| 08:00 | ✕ | 22% | 10% |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 22% | 21% |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 22% | 31% |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 22% | 28% |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 23% | 25% |
| 13:00 | ✕ | 23% | 22% |
| 14:00 | ✕ | 23% | 15% |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 23% | 7.4% |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 20% | 0% |
| 17:00 | ✕ | 23% | 0% |
| 18:00 | ✕ | 23% | 0% |
| 19:00 | ✕ | 22% | 0% |
| 20:00 | ✓ | 67% | 0% |
| 21:00 | ✕ | 47% | 0% |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 26% | 0% |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 26% | 0% |
| Sun, Apr 19 | |||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 27% | 0% |
| 01:00 | ✕ | 27% | 0% |
| 02:00 | ✕ | 27% | 0% |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 26% | 0% |
| 04:00 | ✕ | 29% | 0% |
| 05:00 | ✓ | 70% | 0% |
| 06:00 | ✕ | 51% | 0% |
| 07:00 | ✕ | 24% | 0% |
| 08:00 | ✕ | 29% | 0% |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 29% | 0% |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 26% | 0% |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 28% | 0% |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 25% | 0% |
| 13:00 | ✕ | 32% | 0% |
| 14:00 | ✕ | 28% | 0% |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 25% | 0% |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 22% | 0% |
| 17:00 | ✕ | 22% | 0% |
| 18:00 | ✕ | 25% | 0% |
| 19:00 | ✕ | 23% | 0% |
| 20:00 | ✓ | 67% | 0% |
| 21:00 | ✕ | 54% | 0% |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 34% | 0% |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 34% | 0% |
| Mon, Apr 20 | |||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 32% | 0% |
| 01:00 | ✕ | 32% | 0% |
| 02:00 | ✕ | 29% | 5% |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 29% | 10% |
| 04:00 | ✕ | 28% | 15% |
| 05:00 | ✓ | 41% | 10% |
| 06:00 | ✕ | 27% | 5% |
| 07:00 | ✕ | 20% | 0% |
| 08:00 | ✕ | 21% | 0% |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 25% | 0% |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 26% | 0% |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 26% | 0% |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 22% | 0% |
| 13:00 | ✕ | 19% | 0% |
| 14:00 | ✕ | 16% | 0% |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 16% | 0% |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 16% | 0% |
| 17:00 | ✕ | 16% | 0% |
| 18:00 | ✕ | 17% | 0% |
| 19:00 | ✕ | 15% | 0% |
| 20:00 | ✓ | 27% | 1.2% |
| 21:00 | ✕ | 19% | 2.3% |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 3.5% | 3.5% |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 3.6% | 2.3% |
| Tue, Apr 21 | |||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 3.7% | 1.2% |
| 01:00 | ✕ | 3.7% | 0% |
| 02:00 | ✕ | 5% | 0% |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 7.5% | 0% |
| 04:00 | ✕ | 7.8% | 0% |
| 05:00 | ✓ | 57% | 13% |
| 06:00 | ✕ | 13% | 26% |
| 07:00 | ✕ | 2% | 39% |
| 08:00 | ✕ | 2% | 26% |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 2% | 13% |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 2% | 0% |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 2% | 0% |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 2% | 0% |
What does Blue Hour Quality 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/London | Blue Hour | High Clouds % | Low Clouds % | Mid-Level Clouds % | Relative Humidity % | Solar Elevation ° | Total Cloud Coverage % | Visibility m | Wind Speed m/s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Apr 18
Sunrise 06:08
Sunset 20:07 | |||||||||
| 14:00 | - | 0% | 2% | 0% | 79% | 49° | 2% | 24134m | 6.2m/s |
| 15:00 | - | 0% | 9% | 1% | 77% | 44° | 9% | 24135m | 6.6m/s |
| 16:00 | - | 0% | 18% | 5% | 75% | 37° | 19% | 24135m | 6.9m/s |
| 17:00 | - | 0% | 6% | 0% | 76% | 28° | 6% | 24135m | 6.4m/s |
| 18:00 | - | 0% | 7% | 0% | 76% | 19° | 7% | 24135m | 5.4m/s |
| 19:00 | - | 0% | 4% | 0% | 77% | 9.7° | 4% | 24134m | 6.9m/s |
| 20:00 | - | 0% | 0% | 0% | 80% | 0.75° | 0% | 24135m | 4.7m/s |
| 21:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 5% | 0% | 83% | -8.4° | 5% | 24135m | 4.9m/s |
| 22:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 5% | 0% | 83% | -16° | 5% | 24134m | 4.9m/s |
| 23:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 5% | 0% | 82% | -22° | 5% | 24134m | 5.2m/s |
| Sun, Apr 19
Sunrise 06:08
Sunset 20:07 | |||||||||
| 24:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 2% | 0% | 81% | -27° | 2% | 24135m | 5.4m/s |
| 01:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 0% | 0% | 81% | -28° | 0% | 24135m | 5.2m/s |
| 02:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 0% | 0% | 81% | -27° | 0% | 24135m | 5.5m/s |
| 03:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 0% | 0% | 79% | -24° | 0% | 24135m | 6m/s |
| 04:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 0% | 0% | 77% | -18° | 0% | 24135m | 6m/s |
| 05:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 0% | 0% | 77% | -10° | 0% | 24135m | 5.9m/s |
| 06:00 ☾ | - | 7% | 0% | 4% | 77% | -1.5° | 7% | 24134m | 5.7m/s |
| 07:00 | - | 100% | 0% | 30% | 78% | 7.6° | 100% | 24134m | 5.5m/s |
| 08:00 | - | 19% | 0% | 43% | 78% | 17° | 45% | 24135m | 5.5m/s |
| 09:00 | - | 5% | 0% | 5% | 76% | 26° | 5% | 24134m | 5.2m/s |
| 10:00 | - | 3% | 0% | 5% | 72% | 35° | 5% | 24134m | 4.8m/s |
| 11:00 | - | 2% | 0% | 5% | 67% | 43° | 5% | 24134m | 4.1m/s |
| 12:00 | - | 0% | 1% | 5% | 63% | 48° | 5% | 24135m | 3.3m/s |
| 13:00 | - | 40% | 3% | 5% | 60% | 51° | 40% | 24134m | 2m/s |
| 14:00 | - | 4% | 5% | 1% | 58% | 49° | 5% | 24135m | 1.7m/s |
| 15:00 | - | 5% | 6% | 0% | 57% | 44° | 6% | 24135m | 1.7m/s |
| 16:00 | - | 5% | 7% | 2% | 57% | 37° | 7% | 24134m | 1.6m/s |
| 17:00 | - | 4% | 6% | 5% | 58% | 29° | 6% | 24134m | 2m/s |
| 18:00 | - | 5% | 9% | 0% | 63% | 19° | 9% | 24134m | 3.1m/s |
| 19:00 | - | 5% | 6% | 0% | 67% | 9.9° | 6% | 24134m | 3.2m/s |
| 20:00 | - | 5% | 9% | 0% | 71% | 0.96° | 9% | 24134m | 2.9m/s |
| 21:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 4% | 0% | 71% | -8.1° | 5% | 24134m | 2.3m/s |
| 22:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 5% | 0% | 71% | -16° | 5% | 24135m | 2.8m/s |
| 23:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 1% | 0% | 71% | -22° | 5% | 24134m | 4.2m/s |
| Mon, Apr 20
Sunrise 06:06
Sunset 20:08 | |||||||||
| 24:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 5% | 0% | 74% | -26° | 5% | 24135m | 5.9m/s |
| 01:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 5% | 4% | 74% | -28° | 5% | 24134m | 6.2m/s |
| 02:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 2% | 5% | 76% | -27° | 5% | 24135m | 6.2m/s |
| 03:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 0% | 5% | 78% | -23° | 5% | 24135m | 5.7m/s |
| 04:00 ☾ | - | 4% | 1% | 20% | 75% | -17° | 20% | 24134m | 5.3m/s |
| 05:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 0% | 98% | 77% | -9.9° | 98% | 24135m | 4.5m/s |
| 06:00 ☾ | - | 2% | 19% | 100% | 79% | -1.2° | 100% | 24134m | 4.7m/s |
| 07:00 | - | 0% | 36% | 61% | 80% | 7.9° | 82% | 24134m | 5.2m/s |
| 08:00 | - | 0% | 43% | 5% | 79% | 17° | 43% | 24134m | 6.9m/s |
| 09:00 | - | 0% | 5% | 1% | 76% | 27° | 5% | 24135m | 7m/s |
| 10:00 | - | 0% | 5% | 0% | 74% | 36° | 5% | 24135m | 6.6m/s |
| 11:00 | - | 0% | 5% | 0% | 70% | 43° | 5% | 24134m | 6.5m/s |
| 12:00 | - | 0% | 5% | 0% | 68% | 49° | 5% | 24134m | 6.5m/s |
| 13:00 | - | 0% | 3% | 0% | 68% | 51° | 3% | 24135m | 6.3m/s |
| 14:00 | - | 0% | 18% | 3% | 68% | 50° | 18% | 24135m | 6.1m/s |
| 15:00 | - | 0% | 17% | 2% | 66% | 45° | 17% | 24134m | 5.8m/s |
| 16:00 | - | 0% | 16% | 5% | 64% | 37° | 16% | 24134m | 5.1m/s |
| 17:00 | - | 0% | 13% | 7% | 64% | 29° | 15% | 24135m | 4.2m/s |
| 18:00 | - | 2% | 20% | 65% | 65% | 20° | 65% | 24135m | 3.7m/s |
| 19:00 | - | 3% | 67% | 87% | 66% | 10° | 99% | 24135m | 4.3m/s |
| 20:00 | - | 4% | 69% | 61% | 71% | 1.2° | 90% | 24135m | 6.2m/s |
| 21:00 ☾ | - | 4% | 71% | 36% | 76% | -7.9° | 81% | 24135m | 8.1m/s |
| 22:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 73% | 10% | 80% | -16° | 73% | 24135m | 10m/s |
| 23:00 ☾ | - | 19% | 66% | 8% | 82% | -22° | 71% | 24135m | 10m/s |
| Tue, Apr 21
Sunrise 06:04
Sunset 20:10 | |||||||||
| 24:00 ☾ | - | 33% | 59% | 7% | 83% | -26° | 69% | 24135m | 10m/s |
| 01:00 ☾ | - | 46% | 52% | 5% | 84% | -28° | 68% | 24135m | 11m/s |
| 02:00 ☾ | - | 33% | 35% | 5% | 83% | -26° | 47% | 24135m | 11m/s |
| 03:00 ☾ | - | 20% | 17% | 5% | 81% | -23° | 27% | 24135m | 11m/s |
| 04:00 ☾ | - | 6% | 0% | 5% | 79% | -17° | 6% | 24135m | 11m/s |
| 05:00 ☾ | - | 38% | 0% | 21% | 78% | -9.6° | 38% | 24135m | 11m/s |
| 06:00 ☾ | - | 69% | 0% | 37% | 78% | -0.79° | 69% | 24135m | 12m/s |
| 07:00 | - | 100% | 0% | 53% | 78% | 8.2° | 100% | 24135m | 12m/s |
| 08:00 | - | 100% | 0% | 69% | 78% | 18° | 100% | 24135m | 12m/s |
| 09:00 | - | 100% | 0% | 84% | 78% | 27° | 100% | 24135m | 12m/s |
| 10:00 | - | 100% | 0% | 100% | 77% | 36° | 100% | 24135m | 12m/s |
| 11:00 | - | 98% | 0% | 100% | 76% | 44° | 100% | 24135m | 12m/s |
| 12:00 | - | 97% | 0% | 100% | 75% | 49° | 100% | 24135m | 12m/s |
| 13:00 | - | 95% | 0% | 100% | 74% | 51° | 100% | 24135m | 13m/s |
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