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Rule Fire Sky

Waipio Valley - Fire Sky - Hawaii

Honokaa, 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
Low Cloud Cover46%
Mid Cloud Cover0%
High Cloud Cover3%
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 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
03:000.2%98%20377m
04:005.7%97%4308m
05:003%95%5185m
06:0016%96%20097m
07:001.2%98%18465m
08:004.5%99%4306m
09:004.5%99%20529m
10:004.7%99%3672m
11:0018%98%23637m
12:0019%99%21816m
13:0016%99%21565m
14:0016%100%1031m
15:0023%99%2815m
16:0019%99%2854m
17:007.4%98%988m
18:008.3%98%579m
19:0013%99%82m
20:0016%99%6191m
21:0017%80%7898m
22:0014%59%24135m
23:008.8%39%24134m
Wed, Jul 8
24:0014%53%23064m
01:006.8%68%24134m
02:007.3%82%24134m
03:007.8%55%22944m
04:0017%27%5725m
05:0015%0%6323m
06:0023%13%24135m
07:006.7%26%24135m
08:008.4%39%24134m
09:007.4%39%24134m
10:006.7%39%24134m
11:006.7%39%24135m
12:004.9%53%24134m
13:009%68%24134m
14:0013%82%24135m
15:0016%68%24135m
16:0018%53%24135m
17:0017%39%24134m
18:0017%45%19978m
19:0038%50%8775m
20:0016%56%22945m
21:0012%50%24135m
22:0012%45%24134m
23:0012%39%24135m
Thu, Jul 9
24:008.1%53%24134m
01:0012%67%24135m
02:0010%82%24135m
03:0012%82%24134m
04:0026%82%24135m
05:0029%82%24135m
06:0043%86%24134m
07:0026%90%24135m
08:0028%95%24135m
09:0029%96%24134m
10:0031%98%24135m
11:0030%99%23597m
12:0026%99%4488m
13:0027%99%4346m
14:0026%99%3464m
15:0030%98%2502m
16:0029%98%12100m
17:0029%98%7643m
18:0029%98%19728m
19:0042%99%6845m
20:0032%99%5287m
21:0024%94%7012m
22:0025%88%5092m
23:0024%83%7308m
Fri, Jul 10
24:0027%85%11589m
01:0031%88%3584m
02:0030%90%8237m
03:0029%87%24135m
04:0029%84%20213m
05:0028%82%16543m
06:0041%87%19907m
07:0029%91%24135m
08:0032%96%24135m
09:000%97%23659m
10:000%98%23183m
11:000%99%22707m
12:000%99%23101m
13:000%99%23494m
14:000%100%23887m
15:000%97%23887m
16:000%94%23886m
17:000%91%23885m
18:000%92%23488m
19:0011%93%23091m
20:000%94%22694m
21:000%85%17168m
22:000%77%11642m
23:000%69%6115m
Sat, Jul 11
24:000%70%10258m
01:000%72%14400m
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 05:48 Sunset 19:05
04:00
0.06 5% 12% 0.001 - 3% 46% 0% 23% 0.003 -23° 0seconds
05:00
0.06 7% 14% 0.001 - 4% 22% 0% 23% 0.003 -11° 0seconds
06:00
0.06 17% 14% 0.001 - 0% 2% 0% 21% 0.003 0seconds
07:00
0.06 26% 14% 0.001 - 0% 0% 0% 20% 0.003 15° 0seconds
08:00
0.06 36% 14% 0.001 - 5% 1% 0% 18% 0.003 28° 0seconds
09:00
0.06 56% 13% 0.001 - 3% 5% 0% 17% 0.003 42° 3600seconds
10:00
0.06 76% 11% 0.001 - 4% 8% 0% 16% 0.003 56° 3600seconds
11:00
0.06 96% 10% 0.001 - 0% 6% 0% 15% 0.003 70° 3600seconds
12:00
0.07 96% 10% 0.002 - 0% 8% 0% 21% 0.004 83° 3600seconds
13:00
0.07 97% 9% 0.002 - 0% 5% 0% 27% 0.004 82° 3600seconds
14:00
0.07 97% 9% 0.002 - 0% 8% 0% 32% 0.004 68° 3600seconds
15:00
0.07 84% 15% 0.002 - 0% 12% 0% 37% 0.004 54° 3600seconds
16:00
0.08 71% 20% 0.002 - 1% 12% 0% 43% 0.004 41° 3600seconds
17:00
0.07 58% 26% 0.002 - 0% 16% 0% 48% 0.004 27° 3600seconds
18:00
0.07 58% 25% 0.002 - 0% 21% 0% 45% 0.004 14° 3600seconds
19:00
0.07 59% 24% 0.002 - 0% 13% 0% 42% 0.005 0.79° 3600seconds
20:00
0.07 59% 23% 0.002 - 0% 11% 0% 39% 0.005 -12° 3600seconds
21:00
0.07 70% 20% 0.002 - 0% 2% 0% 37% 0.006 -24° 0seconds
22:00
0.07 82% 16% 0.003 - 0% 0% 0% 35% 0.006 -34° 0seconds
23:00
0.07 93% 13% 0.003 - 0% 0% 0% 33% 0.006 -43° 0seconds
Thu, Jul 9 Sunrise 05:48 Sunset 19:05
24:00
0.07 92% 13% 0.003 - 0% 0% 0% 32% 0.006 -47° 0seconds
01:00
0.07 90% 14% 0.003 - 3% 0% 0% 30% 0.006 -47° 0seconds
02:00
0.06 89% 14% 0.003 - 4% 0% 0% 29% 0.005 -42° 0seconds
03:00
0.06 73% 20% 0.002 - 10% 0% 0% 29% 0.005 -34° 0seconds
04:00
0.06 58% 26% 0.002 - 9% 0% 0% 29% 0.005 -23° 0seconds
05:00
0.06 42% 32% 0.002 - 78% 0% 0% 28% 0.005 -11° 0seconds
06:00
0.06 35% 30% 0.002 - 100% 1% 0% 27% 0.004 1.9° 0seconds
07:00
0.06 29% 28% 0.002 - 100% 1% 0% 26% 0.004 15° 0seconds
08:00
0.06 22% 26% 0.002 - 100% 12% 0% 25% 0.004 28° 0seconds
09:00
0.06 18% 27% 0.002 - 100% 14% 0% 23% 0.004 42° 3600seconds
10:00
0.06 15% 29% 0.001 - 100% 22% 0% 22% 0.004 56° 3600seconds
11:00
0.06 11% 30% 0.001 - 100% 39% 0% 21% 0.004 70° 3600seconds
12:00
0.07 11% 29% 0.001 - 98% 38% 0% 33% 0.004 83° 3600seconds
13:00
0.08 10% 29% 0.001 - 100% 37% 0% 45% 0.004 82° 3600seconds
14:00
0.09 10% 28% 0.001 - 100% 57% 0% 57% 0.003 68° 3600seconds
15:00
- 7% 23% - - 83% 81% 0% 62% - 54° 3600seconds
16:00
- 3% 18% - - 84% 58% 0% 68% - 41° 3600seconds
17:00
- 0% 13% - - 86% 68% 0% 73% - 27° 3600seconds
18:00
- 0% 13% - - 58% 35% 0% 70% - 14° 3600seconds
19:00
- 0% 12% - - 100% 17% 0% 68% - 0.78° 3600seconds
20:00
- 0% 12% - - 51% 12% 0% 65% - -12° 3600seconds
21:00
- 1% 15% - - 100% 14% 0% 64% - -24° 0seconds
22:00
- 2% 17% - - 51% 18% 0% 63% - -34° 0seconds
23:00
- 3% 20% - - 53% 16% 0% 63% - -43° 0seconds
Fri, Jul 10 Sunrise 05:49 Sunset 19:05
24:00
- 3% 20% - - 80% 15% 0% 64% - -47° 0seconds
01:00
- 4% 21% - - 100% 18% 0% 66% - -47° 0seconds
02:00
- 4% 21% - - 93% 18% 0% 68% - -42° 0seconds
03:00
- 9% 23% - - 100% 15% 0% 73% - -34° 0seconds
04:00
- 14% 24% - - 100% 13% 0% 78% - -23° 0seconds
05:00
- 19% 26% - - 100% 11% 0% 83% - -11° 0seconds
06:00
- 16% 24% - - 100% 6% 0% 82% - 1.8° 0seconds
07:00
- 14% 23% - - 99% 6% 0% 82% - 15° 0seconds
08:00
- 11% 21% - - 30% 3% 0% 81% - 28° 0seconds
09:00
- 11% 23% - - 22% 11% 0% 80% - 42° 1200seconds
10:00
- 11% 25% - - 13% 19% 0% 78% - 56° 2400seconds
11:00
- 11% 27% - - 5% 27% 0% 76% - 70° 3600seconds
12:00
- 8% 25% - - 5% 24% 0% 77% - 83° 3600seconds
13:00
- 6% 22% - - 5% 21% 0% 78% - 82° 3600seconds
14:00
- 3% 20% - - 5% 18% 0% 79% - 68° 3600seconds
15:00
- 2% 15% - - 5% 18% 0% 81% - 54° 2400seconds
16:00
- 1% 11% - - 5% 18% 0% 83% - 41° 1200seconds
17:00
- 0% 6% - - 5% 18% 0% 85% - 27° 0seconds
18:00
- 0% 7% - - 37% 18% 0% 84% - 14° 0seconds
19:00
- 0% 7% - - 68% 17% 0% 83% - 0.77° 0seconds
20:00
- 0% 8% - - 100% 16% 0% 82% - -12° 0seconds
21:00
- 1% 11% - - 100% 17% 0% 80% - -24° 0seconds
22:00
- 1% 15% - - 100% 17% 0% 77% - -35° 0seconds
23:00
- 2% 18% - - 100% 18% 0% 74% - -43° 0seconds
Sat, Jul 11 Sunrise 05:49 Sunset 19:05
24:00
- 2% 18% - - 100% 18% 0% 76% - -47° 0seconds
01:00
- 2% 18% - - 100% 18% 0% 78% - -47° 0seconds
02:00
- 2% 18% - - 100% 19% 0% 80% - -42° 0seconds
03:00
- 5% 21% - - 98% 20% 6% 80% - -34° 1200seconds
How to read: these inputs help produce the derived score; they are not requirements by themselves.

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