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Rule Fire Sky

Kualoa Ranch - Fire Sky - Hawaii

Kaaawa, 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 97% failing
Golden Hour 83% failing

Currently

Real-time conditions
Fiery Red Sky Potential
0%
Low Cloud Cover23%
Mid Cloud Cover0%
High Cloud Cover5%
Aerosol Optical Depth0.1
Sun Elevation-23.7° (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 95 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
03:00✕17%85%22074m
04:00✕8.1%71%23227m
05:00✓4.3%56%22353m
06:00✓7.3%65%23465m
07:00✕9%73%23883m
08:00✕8.1%82%24135m
09:00✕26%45%24135m
10:00✕24%33%24134m
11:00✕31%22%24135m
12:00✕16%42%24135m
13:00✕17%62%24135m
14:00✕20%82%24134m
15:00✕25%65%24134m
16:00✕19%73%23515m
17:00✕21%82%17655m
18:00✓18%87%23360m
19:00✓37%93%23672m
20:00✕20%98%23689m
21:00✕18%67%23704m
22:00✕30%53%23290m
23:00✕30%39%23649m
Wed, Jul 8
24:00✕30%45%24134m
01:00✕30%50%24134m
02:00✕29%56%24134m
03:00✕31%37%24134m
04:00✕31%19%24135m
05:00✓12%0%23960m
06:00✓48%13%23730m
07:00✕7.5%26%24135m
08:00✕9.1%39%24134m
09:00✕32%39%24134m
10:00✕27%39%24134m
11:00✕14%39%24135m
12:00✕22%53%24030m
13:00✕17%67%24134m
14:00✕7%82%24135m
15:00✕6.1%87%24135m
16:00✕17%93%23837m
17:00✕19%98%23094m
18:00✓21%98%22968m
19:00✓42%98%23249m
20:00✕22%98%22500m
21:00✕21%88%24135m
22:00✕11%78%22527m
23:00✕9.5%69%23968m
Thu, Jul 9
24:00✕12%74%22527m
01:00✕19%79%7027m
02:00✕21%85%9252m
03:00✕21%84%21618m
04:00✕32%83%22010m
05:00✓19%82%23648m
06:00✓23%82%22071m
07:00✕18%82%22959m
08:00✕7.7%82%23500m
09:00✕10%67%23690m
10:00✕25%53%21671m
11:00✕33%39%23604m
12:00✕33%45%23565m
13:00✕31%50%24006m
14:00✕31%56%23826m
15:00✕28%50%23783m
16:00✕28%45%23942m
17:00✕30%39%23726m
18:00✓26%53%23371m
19:00✓42%67%23523m
20:00✕21%82%23485m
21:00✕19%82%23272m
22:00✕29%82%23149m
23:00✕28%82%23251m
Fri, Jul 10
24:00✕27%86%22074m
01:00✕31%90%22767m
02:00✕30%95%22880m
03:00✕30%82%23011m
04:00✕32%69%22960m
05:00✓34%56%19919m
06:00✓21%65%18480m
07:00✕12%73%20278m
08:00✕30%82%18360m
09:00✕0%82%20228m
10:00✕0%82%22096m
11:00✕0%82%23963m
12:00✕0%82%23968m
13:00✕0%82%23972m
14:00✕0%82%23977m
15:00✕0%82%23983m
16:00✕0%82%23990m
17:00✕0%82%23997m
18:00✓0%82%24034m
19:00✓0%82%24070m
20:00✕0%82%24107m
21:00✕0%82%24116m
22:00✕0%82%24125m
23:00✕0%82%24135m
Sat, Jul 11
24:00✕0%82%24135m
01:00✕0%82%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)
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 05:55 Sunset 19:17
04:00 ☾
0.09 26% 25% 0.001 - 5% 23% 0% 19% 0.004 -24° 0seconds
05:00 ☾
0.09 38% 29% 0.001 - 5% 38% 0% 19% 0.004 -12° 0seconds
06:00
0.09 40% 27% 0.001 - 5% 16% 0% 19% 0.004 0.66° 0seconds
07:00
0.1 42% 25% 0.001 - 5% 15% 0% 19% 0.004 13° 0seconds
08:00
0.1 44% 23% 0.001 - 5% 11% 0% 19% 0.004 27° 0seconds
09:00
0.11 44% 25% 0.001 - 9% 6% 0% 19% 0.004 40° 3600seconds
10:00
0.11 45% 26% 0.001 - 62% 4% 0% 19% 0.005 54° 3600seconds
11:00
0.11 45% 28% 0.002 - 5% 3% 0% 20% 0.005 68° 3600seconds
12:00
0.11 40% 28% 0.002 - 5% 8% 0% 19% 0.005 81° 3600seconds
13:00
0.11 34% 27% 0.002 - 18% 2% 0% 18% 0.005 85° 3600seconds
14:00 ☾
0.11 29% 27% 0.002 - 0% 1% 0% 18% 0.005 71° 3600seconds
15:00 ☾
0.11 37% 27% 0.002 - 2% 6% 0% 18% 0.005 57° 3600seconds
16:00 ☾
0.11 45% 26% 0.002 - 0% 8% 0% 17% 0.005 43° 3600seconds
17:00 ☾
0.1 53% 26% 0.002 - 5% 13% 0% 17% 0.005 29° 3600seconds
18:00 ☾
0.1 45% 24% 0.002 - 5% 28% 0% 16% 0.005 16° 3600seconds
19:00 ☾
0.1 38% 23% 0.002 - 82% 27% 0% 16% 0.005 3.2° 3600seconds
20:00 ☾
0.09 30% 21% 0.001 - 56% 28% 0% 15% 0.005 -9.5° 3600seconds
21:00 ☾
0.09 23% 20% 0.001 - 31% 21% 0% 16% 0.005 -21° 0seconds
22:00 ☾
0.09 16% 19% 0.001 - 69% 24% 0% 17% 0.005 -32° 0seconds
23:00 ☾
0.1 9% 18% 0.001 - 2% 48% 0% 17% 0.005 -40° 0seconds
Thu, Jul 9 Sunrise 05:55 Sunset 19:17
24:00 ☾
0.09 9% 18% 0.001 - 23% 54% 0% 31% 0.005 -45° 0seconds
01:00 ☾
0.1 10% 18% 0.001 - 55% 45% 0% 44% 0.005 -46° 0seconds
02:00 ☾
0.1 10% 18% 0.001 - 21% 40% 0% 57% 0.005 -42° 0seconds
03:00 ☾
0.1 11% 20% 0.002 - 73% 32% 0% 65% 0.005 -34° 0seconds
04:00 ☾
0.1 13% 22% 0.002 - 94% 38% 0% 72% 0.005 -24° 0seconds
05:00 ☾
0.1 14% 24% 0.002 - 6% 46% 0% 80% 0.006 -12° 0seconds
06:00
0.11 12% 23% 0.002 - 5% 46% 0% 77% 0.006 0.59° 0seconds
07:00
0.11 10% 22% 0.002 - 28% 42% 0% 74% 0.006 13° 0seconds
08:00
0.11 8% 21% 0.002 - 5% 20% 0% 71% 0.006 26° 0seconds
09:00
0.11 8% 22% 0.002 - 5% 23% 0% 68% 0.006 40° 3600seconds
10:00
0.11 7% 23% 0.002 - 67% 16% 0% 65% 0.005 54° 3600seconds
11:00
0.1 7% 24% 0.001 - 100% 17% 0% 61% 0.005 68° 3600seconds
12:00
0.1 6% 23% 0.001 - 100% 18% 0% 60% 0.005 81° 3600seconds
13:00
0.1 5% 22% 0.001 - 97% 12% 0% 58% 0.005 85° 3600seconds
14:00 ☾
0.1 4% 21% 0.001 - 100% 13% 0% 56% 0.005 71° 3600seconds
15:00 ☾
- 4% 20% - - 100% 14% 0% 56% - 57° 3600seconds
16:00 ☾
- 3% 19% - - 100% 19% 0% 56% - 43° 3600seconds
17:00 ☾
- 3% 18% - - 100% 15% 0% 56% - 29° 3600seconds
18:00 ☾
- 3% 18% - - 100% 22% 0% 52% - 16° 3600seconds
19:00 ☾
- 2% 17% - - 100% 25% 0% 48% - 3.2° 3600seconds
20:00 ☾
- 2% 17% - - 100% 28% 0% 43% - -9.6° 3600seconds
21:00 ☾
- 3% 19% - - 100% 33% 0% 43% - -21° 0seconds
22:00 ☾
- 5% 22% - - 100% 46% 0% 42% - -32° 0seconds
23:00 ☾
- 6% 24% - - 100% 58% 0% 42% - -40° 0seconds
Fri, Jul 10 Sunrise 05:56 Sunset 19:17
24:00 ☾
- 6% 24% - - 90% 48% 0% 37% - -45° 0seconds
01:00 ☾
- 5% 23% - - 80% 43% 0% 32% - -46° 0seconds
02:00 ☾
- 5% 23% - - 100% 48% 0% 27% - -42° 0seconds
03:00 ☾
- 4% 22% - - 98% 47% 0% 28% - -34° 0seconds
04:00 ☾
- 4% 22% - - 100% 51% 0% 30% - -24° 0seconds
05:00 ☾
- 3% 21% - - 95% 59% 0% 31% - -12° 0seconds
06:00
- 2% 20% - - 5% 54% 0% 29% - 0.52° 0seconds
07:00
- 2% 18% - - 5% 40% 0% 26% - 13° 0seconds
08:00
- 1% 17% - - 14% 57% 0% 24% - 26° 0seconds
09:00
- 1% 17% - - 43% 65% 0% 23% - 40° 1200seconds
10:00
- 1% 17% - - 71% 74% 0% 23% - 54° 2400seconds
11:00
- 1% 17% - - 100% 83% 0% 22% - 68° 3600seconds
12:00
- 1% 16% - - 83% 88% 0% 28% - 81° 3600seconds
13:00
- 0% 14% - - 66% 94% 0% 35% - 85° 3600seconds
14:00 ☾
- 0% 13% - - 50% 100% 0% 41% - 71° 3600seconds
15:00 ☾
- 0% 14% - - 66% 99% 0% 46% - 57° 2400seconds
16:00 ☾
- 1% 15% - - 83% 98% 0% 50% - 43° 1200seconds
17:00 ☾
- 1% 16% - - 100% 98% 0% 54% - 29° 0seconds
18:00 ☾
- 1% 16% - - 100% 98% 9% 61% - 16° 0seconds
19:00 ☾
- 0% 15% - - 100% 99% 18% 67% - 3.2° 0seconds
20:00 ☾
- 0% 15% - - 100% 100% 27% 74% - -9.6° 0seconds
21:00 ☾
- 0% 14% - - 100% 100% 24% 75% - -21° 0seconds
22:00 ☾
- 0% 14% - - 100% 100% 22% 77% - -32° 0seconds
23:00 ☾
- 0% 13% - - 100% 100% 20% 78% - -40° 0seconds
Sat, Jul 11 Sunrise 05:56 Sunset 19:17
24:00 ☾
- 0% 13% - - 100% 100% 15% 80% - -45° 0seconds
01:00 ☾
- 0% 13% - - 100% 100% 10% 81% - -46° 0seconds
02:00 ☾
- 0% 13% - - 100% 100% 5% 82% - -42° 0seconds
03:00 ☾
- 0% 14% - - 100% 91% 5% 83% - -34° 1200seconds
How to read: these inputs help produce the derived score; they are not requirements by themselves.

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