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 Fire Sky in Hawaii

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Rule Fire Sky

Hilo - Fire Sky - Hawaii

Q: What conditions does Fire Sky look for?

Golden Hour: Any. Fiery Red Sky Potential: ≥ 65.0%. Precipitation Chance: ≤ 15.0%. Visibility: ≥ 8000.0m

Hilo, 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 · ≥ 65.0% 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 100% failing

Golden Hour 83% failing

Currently

Real-time conditions

Fiery Red Sky Potential

Low Cloud Cover22%

Mid Cloud Cover0%

High Cloud Cover0%

Aerosol Optical Depth0.1

Sun Elevation-22.8° (Astronomical night)

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 80 hours

AND logic: all conditions required

Meets requirement

Misses requirement

Time Pacific/Honolulu	Golden Hour Any	Fiery Red Sky Potential ≥ 65.0%	Precipitation Chance ≤ 15.0%	Visibility ≥ 8000.0m
Tue, Jul 7
18:00	✓	0.5%	100%	7700m
19:00	✓	14%	100%	15688m
20:00	✕	4.6%	100%	15526m
21:00	✕	7.4%	94%	18541m
22:00	✕	15%	88%	6480m
23:00	✕	17%	82%	9959m
Wed, Jul 8
24:00	✕	17%	85%	6767m
01:00	✕	10%	88%	20677m
02:00	✕	9.5%	92%	20579m
03:00	✕	5.9%	74%	22608m
04:00	✕	5.2%	57%	24135m
05:00	✓	6%	39%	24135m
06:00	✓	21%	53%	24135m
07:00	✕	5.1%	68%	24135m
08:00	✕	6.9%	82%	24134m
09:00	✕	9.3%	68%	24134m
10:00	✕	7.2%	53%	24134m
11:00	✕	5.1%	39%	24135m
12:00	✕	4.8%	53%	24134m
13:00	✕	4.7%	68%	24134m
14:00	✕	5.8%	82%	24135m
15:00	✕	6.1%	82%	24135m
16:00	✕	12%	82%	23690m
17:00	✕	15%	82%	17665m
18:00	✓	18%	85%	19410m
19:00	✓	32%	88%	24134m
20:00	✕	8.4%	91%	24135m
21:00	✕	6.1%	88%	23919m
22:00	✕	9%	85%	21782m
23:00	✕	5%	82%	22164m
Thu, Jul 9
24:00	✕	5.2%	87%	18685m
01:00	✕	9.8%	91%	17660m
02:00	✕	19%	95%	23777m
03:00	✕	11%	91%	21211m
04:00	✕	34%	87%	21818m
05:00	✓	29%	83%	23744m
06:00	✓	40%	85%	18036m
07:00	✕	18%	88%	19687m
08:00	✕	29%	90%	23596m
09:00	✕	13%	86%	24134m
10:00	✕	29%	83%	24135m
11:00	✕	35%	79%	24135m
12:00	✕	32%	83%	24135m
13:00	✕	23%	88%	23564m
14:00	✕	19%	92%	23117m
15:00	✕	16%	94%	17911m
16:00	✕	16%	96%	23638m
17:00	✕	13%	98%	17288m
18:00	✓	15%	99%	11638m
19:00	✓	27%	99%	8703m
20:00	✕	20%	100%	5051m
21:00	✕	18%	99%	5620m
22:00	✕	34%	99%	8849m
23:00	✕	17%	99%	17605m
Fri, Jul 10
24:00	✕	34%	99%	19552m
01:00	✕	32%	99%	21991m
02:00	✕	28%	100%	18890m
03:00	✕	32%	100%	23778m
04:00	✕	28%	100%	22156m
05:00	✓	28%	100%	21180m
06:00	✓	38%	100%	9654m
07:00	✕	29%	100%	16521m
08:00	✕	29%	100%	22587m
09:00	✕	0%	98%	18854m
10:00	✕	0%	96%	15120m
11:00	✕	0%	95%	11387m
12:00	✕	0%	96%	10829m
13:00	✕	0%	98%	10271m
14:00	✕	0%	99%	9713m
15:00	✕	0%	97%	9059m
16:00	✕	0%	95%	8405m
17:00	✕	0%	93%	7751m
18:00	✓	0%	94%	8080m
19:00	✓	6.7%	95%	8410m
20:00	✕	0%	95%	8739m
21:00	✕	0%	94%	10941m
22:00	✕	0%	92%	13142m
23:00	✕	0%	90%	15344m
Sat, Jul 11
24:00	✕	0%	92%	16712m
01:00	✕	0%	94%	18080m

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)	Clear Sky Probability (Ensemble) %	Cloud Cover Uncertainty (Ensemble) %	Dust AOD (550nm)	Golden Hour	High Clouds %	Low Clouds %	Mid-Level Clouds %	RH @ 700 hPa %	Smoke AOD (550nm)	Solar Elevation °	Sunshine Duration seconds
Wed, Jul 8 Sunrise 05:47 Sunset 19:03
04:00 ☾	0.06	1%	9%	0.002	-	0%	22%	0%	13%	0.004	-23°	0seconds
05:00 ☾	0.06	1%	10%	0.002	-	0%	27%	0%	12%	0.004	-11°	0seconds
06:00	0.05	1%	9%	0.002	-	0%	8%	0%	13%	0.004	2.1°	0seconds
07:00	0.05	0%	7%	0.002	-	0%	12%	0%	13%	0.004	15°	0seconds
08:00	0.06	0%	6%	0.002	-	0%	4%	0%	14%	0.004	29°	0seconds
09:00	0.06	24%	7%	0.002	-	0%	0%	0%	14%	0.004	42°	3600seconds
10:00	0.06	47%	9%	0.002	-	0%	0%	0%	14%	0.004	56°	3600seconds
11:00	0.06	71%	10%	0.002	-	0%	1%	0%	14%	0.004	70°	3600seconds
12:00	0.07	80%	9%	0.002	-	0%	4%	0%	14%	0.005	83°	3600seconds
13:00	0.07	88%	8%	0.002	-	0%	0%	0%	14%	0.005	82°	3600seconds
14:00 ☾	0.08	97%	7%	0.003	-	0%	2%	0%	14%	0.006	68°	3600seconds
15:00 ☾	0.09	96%	8%	0.003	-	0%	14%	0%	14%	0.006	54°	3600seconds
16:00 ☾	0.09	95%	9%	0.003	-	0%	18%	0%	14%	0.006	40°	3600seconds
17:00 ☾	0.09	94%	10%	0.003	-	0%	34%	0%	14%	0.006	27°	3600seconds
18:00 ☾	0.09	94%	9%	0.003	-	0%	35%	0%	13%	0.007	13°	3600seconds
19:00 ☾	0.09	95%	8%	0.003	-	0%	7%	0%	13%	0.007	0.39°	3600seconds
20:00 ☾	0.09	95%	7%	0.004	-	0%	0%	0%	12%	0.007	-13°	3600seconds
21:00 ☾	0.08	90%	9%	0.004	-	0%	5%	0%	12%	0.007	-24°	0seconds
22:00 ☾	0.08	84%	11%	0.003	-	0%	0%	0%	11%	0.006	-35°	0seconds
23:00 ☾	0.07	79%	13%	0.003	-	0%	0%	0%	11%	0.006	-43°	0seconds
Thu, Jul 9 Sunrise 05:48 Sunset 19:03
24:00 ☾	0.06	72%	14%	0.003	-	0%	0%	0%	10%	0.005	-47°	0seconds
01:00 ☾	0.06	64%	16%	0.002	-	7%	0%	0%	9.7%	0.004	-47°	0seconds
02:00 ☾	0.05	57%	17%	0.002	-	7%	31%	0%	9%	0.004	-42°	0seconds
03:00 ☾	0.05	44%	21%	0.002	-	72%	6%	0%	10%	0.004	-34°	0seconds
04:00 ☾	0.05	30%	25%	0.002	-	100%	3%	0%	11%	0.004	-23°	0seconds
05:00 ☾	0.04	17%	29%	0.001	-	100%	0%	0%	12%	0.004	-11°	0seconds
06:00	0.04	13%	26%	0.001	-	100%	1%	0%	27%	0.004	2.1°	0seconds
07:00	0.04	8%	24%	0.001	-	100%	36%	0%	42%	0.004	15°	0seconds
08:00	0.04	4%	21%	0.001	-	28%	0%	0%	57%	0.004	28°	0seconds
09:00	0.04	3%	19%	0.001	-	19%	1%	0%	66%	0.004	42°	3600seconds
10:00	0.05	2%	18%	0.001	-	33%	2%	0%	76%	0.004	56°	3600seconds
11:00	0.05	1%	16%	0.001	-	100%	2%	1%	85%	0.004	70°	3600seconds
12:00	0.05	1%	14%	0.001	-	100%	4%	1%	82%	0.004	83°	3600seconds
13:00	0.06	0%	13%	0.001	-	64%	3%	0%	79%	0.004	82°	3600seconds
14:00 ☾	0.06	0%	11%	0.001	-	78%	7%	1%	76%	0.004	68°	3600seconds
15:00 ☾	-	0%	13%	-	-	5%	6%	1%	71%	-	54°	3600seconds
16:00 ☾	-	1%	15%	-	-	99%	3%	0%	65%	-	40°	3600seconds
17:00 ☾	-	1%	17%	-	-	24%	3%	0%	60%	-	27°	3600seconds
18:00 ☾	-	1%	16%	-	-	15%	10%	27%	58%	-	13°	3600seconds
19:00 ☾	-	0%	14%	-	-	98%	30%	36%	56%	-	0.38°	3600seconds
20:00 ☾	-	0%	13%	-	-	100%	25%	18%	55%	-	-13°	3600seconds
21:00 ☾	-	1%	15%	-	-	63%	22%	6%	67%	-	-25°	0seconds
22:00 ☾	-	1%	16%	-	-	63%	21%	6%	79%	-	-35°	0seconds
23:00 ☾	-	2%	18%	-	-	5%	10%	5%	91%	-	-43°	0seconds
Fri, Jul 10 Sunrise 05:48 Sunset 19:03
24:00 ☾	-	1%	17%	-	-	5%	5%	5%	90%	-	-48°	0seconds
01:00 ☾	-	1%	16%	-	-	8%	8%	5%	89%	-	-47°	0seconds
02:00 ☾	-	0%	15%	-	-	97%	6%	2%	89%	-	-42°	0seconds
03:00 ☾	-	3%	18%	-	-	33%	0%	0%	86%	-	-34°	0seconds
04:00 ☾	-	5%	20%	-	-	100%	10%	1%	84%	-	-23°	0seconds
05:00 ☾	-	8%	23%	-	-	100%	2%	4%	82%	-	-11°	0seconds
06:00	-	9%	23%	-	-	99%	14%	1%	84%	-	2°	0seconds
07:00	-	10%	24%	-	-	100%	14%	3%	86%	-	15°	0seconds
08:00	-	11%	24%	-	-	100%	3%	6%	89%	-	28°	0seconds
09:00	-	9%	23%	-	-	68%	15%	4%	87%	-	42°	1200seconds
10:00	-	8%	23%	-	-	37%	26%	2%	86%	-	56°	2400seconds
11:00	-	6%	22%	-	-	5%	37%	0%	85%	-	70°	3600seconds
12:00	-	6%	22%	-	-	4%	30%	0%	86%	-	84°	3600seconds
13:00	-	7%	23%	-	-	3%	23%	0%	86%	-	82°	3600seconds
14:00 ☾	-	7%	23%	-	-	2%	17%	0%	87%	-	68°	3600seconds
15:00 ☾	-	8%	24%	-	-	19%	30%	1%	87%	-	54°	2400seconds
16:00 ☾	-	9%	25%	-	-	36%	44%	1%	88%	-	40°	1200seconds
17:00 ☾	-	10%	26%	-	-	53%	58%	2%	89%	-	27°	0seconds
18:00 ☾	-	8%	24%	-	-	49%	50%	1%	87%	-	13°	0seconds
19:00 ☾	-	5%	22%	-	-	45%	42%	1%	85%	-	0.37°	0seconds
20:00 ☾	-	3%	20%	-	-	42%	34%	0%	82%	-	-13°	0seconds
21:00 ☾	-	3%	20%	-	-	30%	38%	0%	83%	-	-25°	0seconds
22:00 ☾	-	2%	19%	-	-	18%	41%	0%	84%	-	-35°	0seconds
23:00 ☾	-	2%	19%	-	-	7%	45%	0%	84%	-	-43°	0seconds
Sat, Jul 11 Sunrise 05:48 Sunset 19:02
24:00 ☾	-	2%	19%	-	-	28%	37%	0%	86%	-	-48°	0seconds
01:00 ☾	-	2%	18%	-	-	50%	29%	0%	88%	-	-47°	0seconds
02:00 ☾	-	2%	18%	-	-	71%	21%	0%	90%	-	-42°	0seconds
03:00 ☾	-	2%	19%	-	-	81%	29%	0%	88%	-	-34°	1200seconds

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

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