São Vicente - Golden Hour - Madeira
That magical warm light just after sunrise or before sunset
Currently
Real-time conditionsUpcoming Opportunities
When all conditions match, PhotoWeather marks an opportunity window.
What this forecast looks for
Plain-language explanation from the ruleThis forecast identifies optimal golden hour conditions for Madeira's volcanic landscapes, sea cliffs, terraced hillsides, and coastal villages. We track cloud cover, visibility, and atmospheric conditions to predict when warm light enhances the island's distinctive red volcanic rock and whitewashed villages.
Madeira's volcanic geology creates exceptional golden hour photography—red tuff cliffs glow under warm light, while terraced agriculture creates geometric patterns emphasized by low-angle sun. East-west valleys like Ribeira Brava channel morning and evening light through volcanic gorges.
What makes Madeira golden-hour photography distinctive:
- Volcanic cliff glow - Cabo Girão's 580-meter sea cliff catches sunrise light, appearing to glow red-orange from within
- Terraced landscapes - Banana plantations, vineyards, and agriculture create striped patterns under low sun
- Fishing village light - Câmara de Lobos' colourful boats and waterfront buildings gain warmth painted by Churchill himself
- Headland drama - Ponta de São Lourenço's barren volcanic peninsula glows gold against deep blue Atlantic waters
Cabo Girão at sunrise delivers Europe's most dramatic sea cliff composition—warm light hits the near-vertical red cliff while the glass skywalk platform and terraced fields glow golden. Câmara de Lobos works beautifully at sunset—Churchill painted this exact scene, and golden hour reveals why. Ponta de São Lourenço's eastern headland provides spectacular sunrise photography with barren volcanic formations. Funchal's harbour gains romantic character with warm light on terracotta roofs and tropical gardens. Santana's traditional thatched houses take on storybook quality under low sun against green ridges. Machico's historic bay offers golden light on black sand beach. Spring and autumn provide optimal angles.
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72-hour requirements breakdown
What passed or failed, hour by hourTime Atlantic/Madeira | Golden Hour Any | Golden Hour Potential ≥ 80.0% | Precipitation Chance ≤ 5.0% | Visibility ≥ 1000.0m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, May 18 | ||||
| 05:00 | ✕ | 22% | 23% | 425m |
| 06:00 | ✓ | 46% | 22% | 256m |
| 07:00 | ✓ | 43% | 22% | 143m |
| 08:00 | ✕ | 19% | 15% | 115m |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 19% | 45% | 405m |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 24% | 39% | 3133m |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 26% | 33% | 5005m |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 34% | 28% | 24135m |
| 13:00 | ✕ | 32% | 22% | 24134m |
| 14:00 | ✕ | 32% | 16% | 3358m |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 31% | 9.7% | 2264m |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 28% | 3.5% | 3509m |
| 17:00 | ✕ | 23% | 2.3% | 4655m |
| 18:00 | ✕ | 19% | 1.2% | 2378m |
| 19:00 | ✕ | 19% | 0% | 910m |
| 20:00 | ✓ | 52% | 0% | 14870m |
| 21:00 | ✓ | 57% | 0% | 24135m |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 24% | 0% | 3960m |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 25% | 0% | 24134m |
| Tue, May 19 | ||||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 26% | 0% | 5264m |
| 01:00 | ✕ | 24% | 0% | 1910m |
| 02:00 | ✕ | 26% | 0.3% | 1847m |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 20% | 0.61% | 1828m |
| 04:00 | ✕ | 19% | 0.91% | 1836m |
| 05:00 | ✕ | 22% | 0.61% | 517m |
| 06:00 | ✓ | 46% | 0.3% | 189m |
| 07:00 | ✓ | 42% | 0% | 427m |
| 08:00 | ✕ | 26% | 0% | 1603m |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 31% | 0% | 2684m |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 32% | 0% | 24135m |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 30% | 0% | 24135m |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 32% | 0% | 1768m |
| 13:00 | ✕ | 25% | 0% | 1522m |
| 14:00 | ✕ | 29% | 0% | 1508m |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 24% | 0% | 1516m |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 22% | 0% | 1469m |
| 17:00 | ✕ | 23% | 0% | 1587m |
| 18:00 | ✕ | 29% | 0% | 22512m |
| 19:00 | ✕ | 31% | 0% | 22506m |
| 20:00 | ✓ | 73% | 0% | 3430m |
| 21:00 | ✓ | 75% | 0% | 1628m |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 26% | 0% | 572m |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 30% | 0% | 357m |
| Wed, May 20 | ||||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 34% | 0% | 1312m |
| 01:00 | ✕ | 37% | 0% | 24134m |
| 02:00 | ✕ | 35% | 0% | 24135m |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 36% | 0% | 24135m |
| 04:00 | ✕ | 33% | 0% | 24135m |
| 05:00 | ✕ | 32% | 0% | 24135m |
| 06:00 | ✓ | 89% | 0% | 24135m |
| 07:00 | ✓ | 84% | 0% | 24134m |
| 08:00 | ✕ | 31% | 0% | 22645m |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 37% | 0% | 24134m |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 33% | 0% | 24135m |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 35% | 0% | 24135m |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 33% | 0% | 24135m |
| 13:00 | ✕ | 36% | 0% | 22765m |
| 14:00 | ✕ | 36% | 0% | 24135m |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 36% | 0% | 24135m |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 39% | 0% | 24134m |
| 17:00 | ✕ | 39% | 0% | 24135m |
| 18:00 | ✕ | 41% | 0% | 24135m |
| 19:00 | ✕ | 38% | 0% | 24134m |
| 20:00 | ✓ | 91% | 0% | 24134m |
| 21:00 | ✓ | 94% | 0% | 24135m |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 36% | 0% | 24135m |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 36% | 0% | 24135m |
| Thu, May 21 | ||||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 37% | 0% | 24135m |
| 01:00 | ✕ | 37% | 0% | 24135m |
| 02:00 | ✕ | 16% | 0% | 24135m |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 16% | 0% | 24135m |
| 04:00 | ✕ | 16% | 0% | 24135m |
| 05:00 | ✕ | 16% | 0% | 24135m |
| 06:00 | ✓ | 92% | 0% | 24135m |
| 07:00 | ✓ | 92% | 0% | 24135m |
| 08:00 | ✕ | 15% | 0% | 24135m |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 16% | 0% | 24135m |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 16% | 0% | 24135m |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 16% | 0% | 24135m |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 16% | 0% | 24135m |
| 13:00 | ✕ | 16% | 0% | 24135m |
What does Golden Hour Potential mean?
Inputs that drive the scoreThis 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 Atlantic/Madeira | Golden Hour | High Clouds % | Low Clouds % | Mid-Level Clouds % | Relative Humidity % | Total Cloud Coverage % | Wind Speed m/s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, May 18
Sunrise 07:07
Sunset 21:02 | |||||||
| 15:00 | - | 5% | 51% | 0% | 74% | 51% | 1.1m/s |
| 16:00 | - | 12% | 78% | 0% | 76% | 78% | 0.96m/s |
| 17:00 | - | 99% | 96% | 0% | 82% | 99% | 0.89m/s |
| 18:00 | - | 89% | 81% | 0% | 87% | 89% | 1.2m/s |
| 19:00 | - | 100% | 64% | 0% | 87% | 100% | 2m/s |
| 20:00 | - | 100% | 35% | 0% | 87% | 100% | 1.7m/s |
| 21:00 | - | 100% | 30% | 0% | 94% | 100% | 1.3m/s |
| 22:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 15% | 0% | 95% | 100% | 1.1m/s |
| 23:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 10% | 1% | 94% | 100% | 1.1m/s |
| Tue, May 19
Sunrise 07:07
Sunset 21:02 | |||||||
| 24:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 16% | 2% | 94% | 100% | 1.3m/s |
| 01:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 27% | 24% | 96% | 100% | 1.4m/s |
| 02:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 33% | 84% | 96% | 100% | 1.4m/s |
| 03:00 ☾ | - | 64% | 34% | 84% | 97% | 84% | 1.3m/s |
| 04:00 ☾ | - | 92% | 34% | 100% | 97% | 100% | 1.4m/s |
| 05:00 ☾ | - | 55% | 45% | 80% | 97% | 80% | 1.6m/s |
| 06:00 ☾ | - | 19% | 55% | 70% | 98% | 70% | 1.4m/s |
| 07:00 ☾ | - | 36% | 55% | 76% | 96% | 76% | 1.5m/s |
| 08:00 | - | 5% | 47% | 47% | 95% | 48% | 1.4m/s |
| 09:00 | - | 5% | 36% | 18% | 86% | 36% | 1m/s |
| 10:00 | - | 5% | 18% | 2% | 77% | 18% | 0.55m/s |
| 11:00 | - | 5% | 26% | 1% | 71% | 26% | 0.65m/s |
| 12:00 | - | 5% | 31% | 1% | 71% | 31% | 0.87m/s |
| 13:00 | - | 2% | 46% | 0% | 71% | 46% | 1.1m/s |
| 14:00 | - | 5% | 63% | 0% | 70% | 63% | 0.94m/s |
| 15:00 | - | 4% | 61% | 0% | 73% | 61% | 0.91m/s |
| 16:00 | - | 5% | 51% | 0% | 73% | 51% | 1m/s |
| 17:00 | - | 1% | 51% | 0% | 76% | 51% | 0.94m/s |
| 18:00 | - | 0% | 46% | 0% | 79% | 46% | 1.1m/s |
| 19:00 | - | 0% | 52% | 0% | 81% | 52% | 0.88m/s |
| 20:00 | - | 0% | 59% | 0% | 86% | 59% | 0.62m/s |
| 21:00 | - | 4% | 48% | 0% | 93% | 48% | 0.62m/s |
| 22:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 46% | 0% | 97% | 46% | 0.73m/s |
| 23:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 45% | 0% | 97% | 45% | 0.74m/s |
| Wed, May 20
Sunrise 07:06
Sunset 21:02 | |||||||
| 24:00 ☾ | - | 1% | 34% | 0% | 95% | 34% | 0.84m/s |
| 01:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 12% | 0% | 93% | 12% | 0.53m/s |
| 02:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 3% | 0% | 91% | 3% | 0.32m/s |
| 03:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 8% | 0% | 92% | 8% | 0.58m/s |
| 04:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 11% | 0% | 92% | 11% | 0.88m/s |
| 05:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 5% | 0% | 93% | 5% | 0.75m/s |
| 06:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 7% | 0% | 93% | 7% | 0.81m/s |
| 07:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 7% | 0% | 92% | 7% | 0.44m/s |
| 08:00 | - | 0% | 2% | 0% | 87% | 2% | 0.17m/s |
| 09:00 | - | 2% | 2% | 0% | 74% | 4% | 0.28m/s |
| 10:00 | - | 0% | 2% | 0% | 64% | 2% | 0.25m/s |
| 11:00 | - | 0% | 1% | 0% | 58% | 1% | 0.44m/s |
| 12:00 | - | 0% | 2% | 0% | 56% | 2% | 0.66m/s |
| 13:00 | - | 0% | 2% | 0% | 57% | 2% | 0.83m/s |
| 14:00 | - | 1% | 0% | 0% | 59% | 2% | 0.8m/s |
| 15:00 | - | 5% | 0% | 0% | 60% | 5% | 0.52m/s |
| 16:00 | - | 5% | 10% | 0% | 61% | 10% | 0.62m/s |
| 17:00 | - | 5% | 26% | 0% | 65% | 26% | 0.95m/s |
| 18:00 | - | 5% | 26% | 0% | 70% | 26% | 1.1m/s |
| 19:00 | - | 41% | 25% | 0% | 76% | 41% | 1.1m/s |
| 20:00 | - | 30% | 17% | 0% | 78% | 30% | 1.3m/s |
| 21:00 | - | 19% | 8% | 0% | 80% | 19% | 1.6m/s |
| 22:00 ☾ | - | 9% | 0% | 0% | 82% | 9% | 1.8m/s |
| 23:00 ☾ | - | 6% | 0% | 0% | 82% | 6% | 1.8m/s |
| Thu, May 21
Sunrise 07:06
Sunset 21:03 | |||||||
| 24:00 ☾ | - | 3% | 0% | 0% | 81% | 3% | 1.7m/s |
| 01:00 ☾ | - | 1% | 0% | 0% | 81% | 1% | 1.7m/s |
| 02:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 0% | 0% | 81% | 0% | 1.8m/s |
| 03:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 0% | 0% | 82% | 0% | 2m/s |
| 04:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 0% | 0% | 82% | 0% | 2.1m/s |
| 05:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 1% | 0% | 81% | 1% | 2.6m/s |
| 06:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 2% | 0% | 81% | 2% | 3.1m/s |
| 07:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 3% | 0% | 80% | 3% | 3.6m/s |
| 08:00 | - | 2% | 2% | 0% | 80% | 4% | 3.7m/s |
| 09:00 | - | 3% | 1% | 0% | 79% | 4% | 3.8m/s |
| 10:00 | - | 5% | 0% | 0% | 79% | 5% | 3.9m/s |
| 11:00 | - | 5% | 0% | 0% | 79% | 5% | 3.7m/s |
| 12:00 | - | 5% | 0% | 0% | 79% | 5% | 3.5m/s |
| 13:00 | - | 5% | 0% | 0% | 79% | 5% | 3.3m/s |
| 14:00 | - | 3% | 0% | 0% | 81% | 3% | 2.4m/s |
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