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

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Rule Fire Sky

Haleakala - Fire Sky - Hawaii

Q: What conditions does Fire Sky look for?

Golden Hour: Any. Fiery Red Sky Potential: ≥ 90.0%. Precipitation Chance: ≤ 15.0%. Visibility: ≥ 8000.0m

Makawao, Hawaii, United States

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

Precipitation Chance 94% failing

Golden Hour 92% failing

Currently

Real-time conditions

Fiery Red Sky Potential

Low Cloud Cover73%

Mid Cloud Cover0%

Aerosol Optical Depth0.1dimensionless

Sun Elevation43.6° (Daylight)

Upcoming Opportunities

When all conditions match, PhotoWeather marks an opportunity window.

Times shown in Pacific/Honolulu

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 spectacular sunset conditions that transform Hawaii's tropical skies into blazing displays. We combine cloud coverage patterns, volcanic haze levels, and atmospheric clarity to predict when Hawaiian sunsets will ignite with dramatic color.

Hawaii offers some of the Pacific's most dramatic fire-sky conditions, particularly when volcanic haze (vog) from Kilauea adds atmospheric particulates that scatter light into intense oranges and reds. The tropical location means the sun sets quickly at a steep angle, creating brief but intense color displays.

What makes Hawaii special for fire-sky photography:

Volcanic haze advantage - Vog from Kilauea volcano scatters light into intense sunset colors
Maui and Big Island drama - Leeward coasts receive the most dramatic vog-enhanced sunsets
Tropical intensity - Quick sunset at steep angle creates brief but fierce color
Ocean reflections - Calm leeward waters mirror fire skies perfectly

The Big Island's Kona coast offers Hawaii's most reliable fire-sky conditions, particularly when vog from Kilauea volcano drifts southwest. The volcanic particulates scatter light dramatically, creating sunsets of unusual intensity. Maui's western coast benefits from similar conditions when vog crosses the channel. The steep volcanic slopes provide dramatic foreground silhouettes—palm trees and volcanic peaks profiled against blazing skies. During periods of volcanic activity, vog levels increase and sunset colors become even more intense. The leeward (western/southern) coasts of islands offer the calmest water for reflections. Trade winds typically die down at sunset, creating mirror-like ocean surfaces that double the impact. Tropical sunsets happen quickly—the entire show from first color to darkness takes about 30 minutes, with peak color lasting only 5-10 minutes. Scout locations beforehand and be ready before the sun touches the horizon.

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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 Pacific/Honolulu	Golden Hour Any	Fiery Red Sky Potential ≥ 90.0%	Precipitation Chance ≤ 15.0%	Visibility ≥ 8000.0m
Sat, Feb 21
15:00	✕	0%	100%	20305m
16:00	✕	0%	99%	1445m
17:00	✕	0%	99%	5520m
18:00	✕	45%	99%	2711m
19:00	✕	39%	99%	490m
20:00	✕	0%	100%	584m
21:00	✕	0%	98%	924m
22:00	✕	0%	96%	8822m
23:00	✕	0%	93%	17273m
Sun, Feb 22
24:00	✕	0%	95%	4738m
01:00	✕	0%	96%	11926m
02:00	✕	0%	98%	12047m
03:00	✕	0%	93%	24135m
04:00	✕	0%	87%	21296m
05:00	✕	0%	81%	21145m
06:00	✓	53%	86%	3311m
07:00	✓	53%	91%	3288m
08:00	✕	0%	96%	1409m
09:00	✕	0%	97%	375m
10:00	✕	0%	96%	323m
11:00	✕	0%	94%	3218m
12:00	✕	0%	96%	24134m
13:00	✕	0%	98%	24135m
14:00	✕	0%	99%	24134m
15:00	✕	0%	93%	24134m
16:00	✕	0%	87%	2271m
17:00	✕	0%	80%	22808m
18:00	✕	49%	83%	8238m
19:00	✕	32%	85%	1270m
20:00	✕	0%	88%	214m
21:00	✕	0%	89%	7812m
22:00	✕	0%	89%	6321m
23:00	✕	0%	90%	15443m
Mon, Feb 23
24:00	✕	0%	92%	15280m
01:00	✕	0%	95%	14553m
02:00	✕	0%	97%	24135m
03:00	✕	0%	90%	24134m
04:00	✕	0%	84%	24135m
05:00	✕	0%	77%	24135m
06:00	✓	69%	79%	24135m
07:00	✓	74%	80%	18392m
08:00	✕	0%	82%	15234m
09:00	✕	0%	74%	10153m
10:00	✕	0%	66%	8856m
11:00	✕	0%	58%	4133m
12:00	✕	0%	58%	4013m
13:00	✕	0%	58%	1443m
14:00	✕	0%	57%	448m
15:00	✕	0%	51%	238m
16:00	✕	0%	44%	175m
17:00	✕	0%	37%	211m
18:00	✕	36%	38%	414m
19:00	✕	40%	38%	730m
20:00	✕	0%	38%	414m
21:00	✕	0%	35%	368m
22:00	✕	0%	33%	366m
23:00	✕	0%	30%	443m
Tue, Feb 24
24:00	✕	0%	32%	745m
01:00	✕	0%	35%	4277m
02:00	✕	0%	37%	3577m
03:00	✕	0%	34%	6855m
04:00	✕	0%	30%	1798m
05:00	✕	0%	26%	3472m
06:00	✓	48%	30%	4228m
07:00	✓	44%	33%	3494m
08:00	✕	0%	37%	9508m
09:00	✕	0%	52%	3867m
10:00	✕	0%	67%	4132m
11:00	✕	0%	82%	3923m
12:00	✕	0%	82%	7214m
13:00	✕	0%	82%	3533m
14:00	✕	0%	82%	3563m
15:00	✕	0%	73%	3639m
16:00	✕	0%	65%	3625m
17:00	✕	0%	56%	3450m
18:00	✕	32%	60%	3484m
19:00	✕	33%	64%	3568m
20:00	✕	0%	69%	5854m
21:00	✕	0%	60%	11948m
22:00	✕	0%	52%	18041m
23:00	✕	0%	44%	24135m
Wed, Feb 25
24:00	✕	0%	48%	24135m
01:00	✕	0%	52%	24135m
02:00	✕	0%	56%	24135m
03:00	✕	0%	44%	24135m
04:00	✕	0%	32%	24135m
05:00	✕	0%	20%	24135m
06:00	✓	80%	21%	24135m
07:00	✓	80%	22%	24135m
08:00	✕	0%	22%	24135m
09:00	✕	0%	18%	24135m
10:00	✕	0%	14%	24135m
11:00	✕	0%	10%	24135m
12:00	✕	0%	6.7%	24135m
13:00	✕	0%	3.3%	24135m

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 Pacific/Honolulu	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
Sun, Feb 22 Sunrise 06:49 Sunset 18:26
15:00 ☾	0.07	896hPa	0.001	-	0%	73%	0%	55%	83%	0.007	17°C	2.8m/s	1.2
16:00 ☾	0.06	896hPa	0.001	-	0%	70%	0%	56%	85%	0.006	16°C	2.2m/s	1.3
17:00 ☾	0.05	896hPa	0.001	-	0%	80%	0%	58%	85%	0.006	16°C	1.8m/s	1.3
18:00 ☾	0.04	897hPa	0.001	-	0%	77%	0%	58%	86%	0.005	15°C	0.99m/s	1.3
19:00 ☾	0.05	898hPa	0.001	-	0%	65%	0%	57%	92%	0.005	15°C	1.6m/s	1.3
20:00 ☾	0.05	898hPa	0.001	-	0%	55%	0%	57%	93%	0.005	15°C	1.9m/s	1.2
21:00 ☾	0.05	899hPa	0.001	-	0%	65%	3%	62%	92%	0.005	14°C	1.9m/s	1.2
22:00 ☾	0.05	899hPa	0.001	-	2%	62%	49%	68%	90%	0.004	14°C	1.2m/s	1.1
23:00 ☾	0.05	899hPa	0.001	-	4%	51%	61%	74%	91%	0.004	14°C	0.42m/s	1
Mon, Feb 23 Sunrise 06:49 Sunset 18:26
24:00 ☾	0.05	899hPa	0.001	-	5%	45%	49%	71%	93%	0.004	14°C	0.04m/s	1
01:00 ☾	0.04	899hPa	0.001	-	3%	53%	36%	67%	93%	0.003	14°C	0.07m/s	1.1
02:00 ☾	0.04	898hPa	0.001	-	2%	59%	13%	64%	92%	0.003	13°C	0.13m/s	1
03:00 ☾	0.04	898hPa	0.001	-	0%	41%	2%	73%	90%	0.003	13°C	0.79m/s	1
04:00 ☾	0.05	898hPa	0	-	0%	17%	0%	81%	90%	0.003	13°C	0.45m/s	0.95
05:00 ☾	0.05	898hPa	0	-	0%	15%	0%	90%	90%	0.003	12°C	0.32m/s	0.94
06:00 ☾	0.05	899hPa	0.001	-	0%	16%	0%	91%	92%	0.003	12°C	0.66m/s	0.87
07:00 ☾	0.06	899hPa	0.001	-	0%	20%	0%	92%	92%	0.003	12°C	1m/s	0.82
08:00 ☾	0.07	900hPa	0.001	-	0%	27%	1%	93%	88%	0.003	14°C	0.75m/s	0.83
09:00 ☾	0.07	900hPa	0.001	-	0%	35%	1%	91%	84%	0.004	15°C	0.87m/s	0.85
10:00 ☾	0.08	901hPa	0.001	-	0%	52%	3%	89%	80%	0.004	16°C	0.7m/s	0.82
11:00 ☾	0.09	901hPa	0.001	-	0%	80%	5%	88%	80%	0.004	16°C	0.95m/s	0.81
12:00 ☾	0.09	900hPa	0.001	-	0%	81%	20%	88%	84%	0.004	16°C	0.83m/s	0.84
13:00 ☾	0.09	900hPa	0.001	-	0%	82%	35%	88%	90%	0.004	16°C	1.3m/s	0.85
14:00 ☾	0.1	899hPa	0.001	-	0%	99%	43%	88%	93%	0.004	15°C	1.3m/s	0.82
15:00 ☾	0.11	899hPa	0.001	-	0%	100%	70%	86%	94%	0.004	15°C	1.5m/s	0.79
16:00 ☾	0.11	899hPa	0.001	-	0%	99%	73%	84%	96%	0.004	14°C	1.7m/s	0.83
17:00 ☾	0.1	899hPa	0.001	-	0%	90%	75%	82%	96%	0.003	14°C	1.9m/s	0.84
18:00 ☾	0.1	900hPa	0.001	-	0%	78%	69%	67%	94%	0.003	14°C	1.5m/s	0.85
19:00 ☾	0.1	900hPa	0.001	-	0%	71%	45%	51%	95%	0.003	14°C	1.7m/s	0.82
20:00 ☾	0.11	901hPa	0.001	-	0%	76%	4%	35%	94%	0.003	14°C	2.2m/s	0.79
21:00 ☾	0.11	902hPa	0.001	-	0%	78%	4%	27%	93%	0.003	14°C	1.8m/s	0.81
22:00 ☾	0.1	902hPa	0.001	-	0%	81%	0%	18%	94%	0.004	14°C	1.8m/s	0.82
23:00 ☾	0.11	902hPa	0.002	-	0%	79%	0%	10%	94%	0.004	14°C	1.8m/s	0.82
Tue, Feb 24 Sunrise 06:49 Sunset 18:27
24:00 ☾	0.11	901hPa	0.002	-	0%	78%	0%	11%	94%	0.004	14°C	1.1m/s	0.79
01:00 ☾	0.12	901hPa	0.002	-	0%	81%	0%	12%	95%	0.004	14°C	0.95m/s	0.77
02:00 ☾	0.11	901hPa	0.002	-	0%	67%	0%	12%	95%	0.005	14°C	1.5m/s	0.76
03:00 ☾	-	901hPa	-	-	0%	76%	0%	12%	95%	-	14°C	1.6m/s	-
04:00 ☾	-	900hPa	-	-	0%	71%	0%	12%	95%	-	14°C	1.7m/s	-
05:00 ☾	-	900hPa	-	-	0%	77%	0%	12%	93%	-	14°C	1.4m/s	-
06:00 ☾	-	901hPa	-	-	0%	81%	0%	12%	90%	-	13°C	1.3m/s	-
07:00 ☾	-	901hPa	-	-	0%	68%	0%	12%	92%	-	13°C	1.4m/s	-
08:00 ☾	-	902hPa	-	-	0%	72%	0%	12%	87%	-	14°C	1.5m/s	-
09:00 ☾	-	903hPa	-	-	0%	46%	0%	10%	88%	-	14°C	1.8m/s	-
10:00 ☾	-	903hPa	-	-	0%	64%	0%	8.3%	83%	-	15°C	1.7m/s	-
11:00 ☾	-	903hPa	-	-	0%	70%	0%	6.3%	81%	-	16°C	1.4m/s	-
12:00 ☾	-	902hPa	-	-	0%	73%	0%	6.4%	80%	-	16°C	1.3m/s	-
13:00 ☾	-	901hPa	-	-	0%	75%	0%	6.6%	80%	-	16°C	1.6m/s	-
14:00 ☾	-	901hPa	-	-	0%	78%	0%	6.7%	80%	-	16°C	1.8m/s	-
15:00 ☾	-	900hPa	-	-	0%	70%	0%	7%	80%	-	16°C	2m/s	-
16:00 ☾	-	900hPa	-	-	1%	56%	0%	7.4%	80%	-	16°C	2.4m/s	-
17:00 ☾	-	901hPa	-	-	0%	71%	0%	7.7%	84%	-	15°C	2.6m/s	-
18:00 ☾	-	901hPa	-	-	0%	79%	0%	7.5%	89%	-	14°C	2.6m/s	-
19:00 ☾	-	901hPa	-	-	0%	78%	0%	7.4%	88%	-	13°C	2.5m/s	-
20:00 ☾	-	902hPa	-	-	0%	67%	0%	7.2%	85%	-	13°C	2.5m/s	-
21:00 ☾	-	936hPa	-	-	0%	77%	0%	7.4%	81%	-	15°C	3.8m/s	-
22:00 ☾	-	969hPa	-	-	0%	86%	0%	7.5%	76%	-	17°C	5.1m/s	-
23:00 ☾	-	1003hPa	-	-	0%	96%	0%	7.7%	72%	-	19°C	6.3m/s	-
Wed, Feb 25 Sunrise 06:48 Sunset 18:27
24:00 ☾	-	1004hPa	-	-	0%	93%	0%	6.5%	69%	-	19°C	6.1m/s	-
01:00 ☾	-	1005hPa	-	-	0%	90%	0%	5.3%	66%	-	19°C	5.8m/s	-
02:00 ☾	-	1005hPa	-	-	0%	87%	0%	4.1%	63%	-	19°C	5.5m/s	-
03:00 ☾	-	1005hPa	-	-	16%	64%	0%	3.1%	61%	-	20°C	5.5m/s	-
04:00 ☾	-	1005hPa	-	-	33%	40%	0%	2.2%	59%	-	20°C	5.4m/s	-
05:00 ☾	-	1005hPa	-	-	49%	17%	0%	1.2%	57%	-	20°C	5.3m/s	-
06:00 ☾	-	1004hPa	-	-	33%	13%	0%	1.3%	58%	-	20°C	5m/s	-
07:00 ☾	-	1003hPa	-	-	16%	9%	0%	1.4%	59%	-	20°C	4.8m/s	-
08:00 ☾	-	1003hPa	-	-	0%	5%	0%	1.5%	60%	-	20°C	4.5m/s	-
09:00 ☾	-	1003hPa	-	-	0%	15%	0%	1.7%	60%	-	20°C	4.5m/s	-
10:00 ☾	-	1003hPa	-	-	0%	26%	0%	2%	61%	-	20°C	4.6m/s	-
11:00 ☾	-	1003hPa	-	-	0%	36%	0%	2.2%	61%	-	20°C	4.7m/s	-
12:00 ☾	-	1004hPa	-	-	0%	50%	0%	2.2%	61%	-	20°C	4.9m/s	-
13:00 ☾	-	1004hPa	-	-	0%	63%	0%	2.1%	62%	-	20°C	5.1m/s	-
14:00 ☾	-	1005hPa	-	-	0%	77%	0%	2.1%	62%	-	19°C	5.4m/s	-

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

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