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Rule Painted Sky

Hilo - Painted Sky - Hawaii

Hilo, Hawaii, United States

Golden hour clouds lit up in orange, pink and gold

No opportunities right now
Here’s what usually blocks matches

No Painted Sky opportunities in the next 14 days

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Rule requirements (key thresholds)
Golden Hour · Any Golden Clouds Potential · ≥ 80.0% Wind Speed · ≤ 6.0m/s Precipitation Chance · ≤ 10.0%

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

Most common blockers (next 72 hours)
Golden Clouds Potential 100% failing
Precipitation Chance 100% failing
Golden Hour 92% failing

Currently

Real-time conditions
Low Cloud Cover10%
Mid Cloud Cover0%
High Cloud Cover0%
Sun Elevation43.4° (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 soft, pastel sunset conditions that give Hawaii its famous watercolor skies. We monitor cloud patterns, trade wind flow, and atmospheric moisture to predict when tropical sunsets will produce gentle, painterly color rather than dramatic fire.

Hawaii's painted-sky conditions create the dreamy tropical sunset aesthetic seen in countless beach resort images—soft pinks, lavenders, and peaches rather than intense oranges and reds. These conditions occur when trade wind clouds scatter light gently, and when volcanic haze is minimal.

What makes Hawaii special for painted-sky photography:

  • Trade wind clouds - Gentle cumulus creates soft, diffused sunset color
  • Soft watercolor tones - Pinks, lavenders, and peaches instead of intense reds
  • Waikiki classic - The iconic Hawaiian beach sunset with palms and soft color
  • Gentle tropical beauty - Less dramatic but more romantic than fire-sky conditions

Waikiki Beach offers Hawaii's classic painted-sky experience—palms silhouetted against soft pastel sunset colors, with Diamond Head providing a volcanic backdrop. This softer sunset style occurs when trade winds flow gently, creating scattered cloud cover that diffuses light into pastels rather than concentrating it into intense colors. Oahu's windward coast, particularly at sunrise, offers similar painted conditions. The North Shore's famous beaches like Sunset Beach and Waimea Bay become surprisingly gentle during painted-sky evenings. Maui's Wailea and Kauai's Hanalei Bay offer world-class painted-sky opportunities. These conditions work beautifully for silhouette photography—the soft color gradients create perfect backgrounds for palms, surfers, or volcanic profiles. Unlike fire-sky conditions that demand attention, painted skies create a peaceful, romantic mood. The color show lasts longer than fire-sky events, with gentle pastels persisting through extended twilight.

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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
Golden Clouds Potential
≥ 80.0%
Wind Speed
≤ 6.0m/s
Precipitation Chance
≤ 10.0%
Sat, Feb 21
15:0032%5.3m/s97%
16:0038%4.3m/s95%
17:0020%3.9m/s93%
18:0023%4.2m/s95%
19:0042%4.3m/s97%
20:0020%4.4m/s99%
21:0026%3.7m/s89%
22:0022%3.3m/s78%
23:008.3%3.2m/s67%
Sun, Feb 22
24:008.5%2.3m/s69%
01:008.5%2.2m/s70%
02:008.5%2.1m/s72%
03:008.5%1.9m/s38%
04:008.5%1.7m/s37%
05:008.5%2.1m/s36%
06:0019%2.7m/s57%
07:0019%2.8m/s79%
08:0013%2.6m/s100%
09:008.5%1.8m/s100%
10:008.5%1.4m/s100%
11:008.5%2.3m/s100%
12:009.5%3.1m/s100%
13:0011%3.8m/s100%
14:0011%4.1m/s100%
15:0013%4.3m/s91%
16:009.5%4.2m/s81%
17:0013%4.1m/s72%
18:0019%4m/s75%
19:0048%4.4m/s79%
20:008.5%3.4m/s82%
21:008.5%6.9m/s73%
22:0011%7.8m/s65%
23:0029%8.1m/s56%
Mon, Feb 23
24:0031%7.6m/s59%
01:0016%7m/s61%
02:0029%6.3m/s64%
03:0022%5.8m/s61%
04:0022%5.1m/s59%
05:0014%4.3m/s56%
06:0023%4m/s69%
07:0048%3.4m/s81%
08:0022%3.2m/s94%
09:008.5%3.4m/s89%
10:008.5%4m/s84%
11:009.5%4.5m/s78%
12:0015%5.5m/s80%
13:0012%5.6m/s81%
14:0018%5.2m/s83%
15:0029%4.9m/s78%
16:0023%4.9m/s72%
17:0026%4.7m/s67%
18:0039%4.3m/s71%
19:0012%4.4m/s76%
20:009%4.4m/s80%
21:0032%3.5m/s74%
22:0022%2.2m/s68%
23:005.6%1.5m/s62%
Tue, Feb 24
24:008.5%1.7m/s63%
01:008.5%1.8m/s65%
02:0013%2.5m/s67%
03:0015%2.9m/s60%
04:0028%3.5m/s53%
05:0022%3.9m/s46%
06:0064%4.6m/s56%
07:0061%4.7m/s65%
08:0043%4.6m/s75%
09:0027%5.2m/s69%
10:0014%5.8m/s63%
11:009.1%5.6m/s57%
12:0030%5.9m/s62%
13:0020%6m/s67%
14:0030%5.5m/s71%
15:0017%5.4m/s70%
16:0010%5.8m/s69%
17:0015%5.9m/s69%
18:0018%6.2m/s74%
19:0014%6.2m/s79%
20:0014%5.9m/s84%
21:0014%5.2m/s74%
22:0016%4.6m/s64%
23:0017%3.9m/s54%
Wed, Feb 25
24:0022%4.1m/s55%
01:0030%4.3m/s56%
02:0031%4.5m/s57%
03:0022%4.7m/s55%
04:0015%4.9m/s53%
05:0010%5m/s52%
06:0022%4.8m/s55%
07:0022%4.6m/s58%
08:0015%4.4m/s61%
09:0014%4.3m/s52%
10:0018%4.2m/s42%
11:0021%4.2m/s33%
12:0017%3.9m/s34%
13:0013%3.6m/s36%
How to read: colored cells show whether each predicate requirement is met; highlighted rows mean the full rule matched (an opportunity).

What does Golden Clouds 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
Golden Hour
High Clouds
%
Low Clouds
%
Mid-Level Clouds
%
Total Cloud Coverage
%
Visibility
m
Sun, Feb 22 Sunrise 06:44 Sunset 18:22
15:00
- 0% 10% 0% 10% 24134m
16:00
- 0% 5% 0% 5% 24135m
17:00
- 0% 2% 0% 2% 24134m
18:00
- 0% 1% 0% 1% 24134m
19:00
- 0% 26% 0% 26% 24134m
20:00
- 0% 1% 0% 1% 23936m
21:00
- 0% 0% 0% 0% 24134m
22:00
- 0% 7% 0% 7% 24135m
23:00
- 0% 24% 0% 24% 24135m
Mon, Feb 23 Sunrise 06:44 Sunset 18:22
24:00
- 0% 55% 0% 55% 24135m
01:00
- 0% 15% 0% 15% 24135m
02:00
- 0% 24% 0% 25% 24135m
03:00
- 0% 17% 0% 17% 24134m
04:00
- 0% 19% 0% 19% 24135m
05:00
- 0% 12% 0% 12% 22827m
06:00
- 0% 7% 0% 7% 24135m
07:00
- 0% 17% 0% 17% 24135m
08:00
- 0% 13% 0% 13% 24134m
09:00
- 0% 2% 0% 2% 24135m
10:00
- 0% 3% 0% 3% 24134m
11:00
- 0% 5% 0% 5% 24134m
12:00
- 0% 14% 0% 14% 24135m
13:00
- 0% 9% 0% 9% 24135m
14:00
- 0% 15% 0% 15% 24134m
15:00
- 0% 24% 0% 24% 24135m
16:00
- 0% 67% 0% 67% 15372m
17:00
- 0% 73% 0% 73% 12051m
18:00
- 0% 72% 0% 72% 9400m
19:00
- 0% 99% 2% 99% 14697m
20:00
- 0% 92% 5% 92% 18417m
21:00
- 0% 35% 10% 38% 24135m
22:00
- 0% 16% 3% 17% 23661m
23:00
- 0% 2% 1% 2% 7358m
Tue, Feb 24 Sunrise 06:43 Sunset 18:23
24:00
- 0% 2% 0% 2% 23203m
01:00
- 0% 0% 0% 0% 23055m
02:00
- 0% 11% 0% 11% 22990m
03:00
- 0% 14% 0% 14% 24135m
04:00
- 0% 22% 0% 22% 24135m
05:00
- 0% 20% 0% 20% 24134m
06:00
- 0% 24% 0% 24% 24134m
07:00
- 0% 22% 0% 22% 20405m
08:00
- 0% 23% 0% 23% 23739m
09:00
- 0% 21% 0% 21% 24135m
10:00
- 0% 13% 0% 13% 24135m
11:00
- 0% 5% 0% 5% 24134m
12:00
- 0% 33% 0% 33% 18220m
13:00
- 0% 19% 0% 19% 12859m
14:00
- 0% 35% 0% 35% 19384m
15:00
- 0% 77% 0% 77% 17141m
16:00
- 0% 98% 0% 98% 22948m
17:00
- 0% 93% 0% 93% 21738m
18:00
- 0% 95% 0% 95% 12744m
19:00
- 0% 99% 0% 99% 18759m
20:00
- 0% 85% 0% 85% 20358m
21:00
- 0% 82% 0% 82% 19913m
22:00
- 0% 79% 0% 79% 19468m
23:00
- 0% 76% 0% 76% 19023m
Wed, Feb 25 Sunrise 06:42 Sunset 18:23
24:00
- 0% 69% 0% 69% 20727m
01:00
- 0% 63% 0% 63% 22431m
02:00
- 0% 56% 0% 56% 24135m
03:00
- 0% 70% 0% 70% 24135m
04:00
- 0% 84% 0% 84% 24135m
05:00
- 0% 98% 0% 98% 24135m
06:00
- 2% 96% 0% 96% 24135m
07:00
- 3% 93% 0% 93% 24135m
08:00
- 5% 91% 0% 91% 24135m
09:00
- 4% 85% 0% 85% 24135m
10:00
- 3% 78% 0% 78% 24135m
11:00
- 2% 71% 0% 71% 24135m
12:00
- 1% 78% 0% 78% 24135m
13:00
- 1% 85% 0% 85% 24135m
14:00
- 0% 92% 0% 92% 24135m
How to read: these inputs help produce the derived score; they are not requirements by themselves.

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