Rule
Golden Hour
Alkmaar - Golden Hour - The Netherlands
Alkmaar, North Holland, The Netherlands
That magical warm light just after sunrise or before sunset
Currently
Real-time conditionsLow Cloud Cover5%
Mid Cloud Cover0%
High Cloud Cover53%
Sun Elevation-40.3° (Astronomical night)
Upcoming Opportunities
When all conditions match, PhotoWeather marks an opportunity window.
Times shown in Europe/Amsterdam
Next opportunity
Exceptional Golden Hour at Sunrise
Alkmaar
Wed, Feb 25 · 07:14–08:23 · 1h window
Medium confidence
40%
🌇Golden Hour Potential86.4-87.2%
Low Cloud Cover: 0%
Mid Cloud Cover: 0%
High Cloud Cover: 0%
Sun Elevation: -6.3° (Nautical twilight)
Excellent Golden Hour at Sunset
Alkmaar
Wed, Feb 25 · 17:25–18:34
🌇Golden Hour Potential:81.6-84.2%
Low
What this forecast looks for
Plain-language explanation from the ruleThe Netherlands' extreme flatness creates extended golden hour conditions as the sun travels horizontally across an unobstructed horizon. This geography—much of the country below sea level—means longer, softer light transitions compared to mountainous regions.
The flat polder landscape transforms during golden hour as windmills cast impossibly long shadows across the fields. Tulip fields (primarily April-May in the Bollenstreek region) become ribbons of saturated color enhanced by low-angle sunlight. The horizontal light emphasizes the engineered geometry of Dutch water management—straight canals, rectangular fields, and linear dykes become graphic elements.
What makes Dutch golden hour unique:
- Extended duration - Flat horizon means golden hour lasts 30-40 minutes longer than hilly regions
- Windmill silhouettes - Iconic structures backlit against colorful skies with unobstructed views
- Tulip field glow - Spring flowers (Keukenhof region) illuminated by horizontal light
- Water multiplication - Canals and polder channels reflect and extend golden light effects
Best timing varies seasonally: summer sunsets around 9-10 PM provide extended shooting windows; winter around 4-5 PM offers lower sun angles but shorter duration. Spring (April-May) combines golden hour with tulip blooms. The Kinderdijk, Zaanse Schans, and rural polders between Amsterdam and Rotterdam offer classic windmill compositions. Bring neutral density filters for extended exposures on calm water.
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72-hour requirements breakdown
What passed or failed, hour by hourAND logic: all conditions required
Meets requirement
Misses requirement
Time Europe/Amsterdam | Golden Hour Any | Golden Hour Potential ≥ 80.0% | Precipitation Chance ≤ 5.0% | Visibility ≥ 1000.0m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Feb 22 | ||||
| 02:00 | ✕ | 5.6% | 82% | 22027m |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 5.6% | 91% | 24134m |
| 04:00 | ✕ | 5.6% | 99% | 24135m |
| 05:00 | ✕ | 6% | 99% | 24134m |
| 06:00 | ✕ | 5.4% | 100% | 11260m |
| 07:00 | ✓ | 8.4% | 100% | 830m |
| 08:00 | ✓ | 8.4% | 80% | 724m |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 1.4% | 60% | 450m |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 1.4% | 40% | 386m |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 2.6% | 32% | 1065m |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 3.2% | 25% | 3095m |
| 13:00 | ✕ | 5.6% | 17% | 21943m |
| 14:00 | ✕ | 5.6% | 65% | 24135m |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 7.1% | 80% | 20909m |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 11% | 96% | 19957m |
| 17:00 | ✓ | 65% | 96% | 19817m |
| 18:00 | ✓ | 88% | 97% | 18977m |
| 19:00 | ✕ | 29% | 98% | 292m |
| 20:00 | ✕ | 1.8% | 55% | 273m |
| 21:00 | ✕ | 1.8% | 28% | 659m |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 5.8% | 0% | 17780m |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 8% | 13% | 24134m |
| Mon, Feb 23 | ||||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 7% | 26% | 24135m |
| 01:00 | ✕ | 13% | 39% | 24134m |
| 02:00 | ✕ | 14% | 56% | 24134m |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 12% | 74% | 24135m |
| 04:00 | ✕ | 13% | 91% | 24134m |
| 05:00 | ✕ | 14% | 93% | 24134m |
| 06:00 | ✕ | 14% | 96% | 24134m |
| 07:00 | ✓ | 90% | 98% | 24135m |
| 08:00 | ✓ | 82% | 96% | 24134m |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 15% | 94% | 24135m |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 13% | 92% | 24135m |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 8.5% | 94% | 24135m |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 6.5% | 97% | 22713m |
| 13:00 | ✕ | 5.7% | 100% | 18532m |
| 14:00 | ✕ | 6.2% | 85% | 24134m |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 6% | 71% | 16386m |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 5.9% | 56% | 17221m |
| 17:00 | ✓ | 36% | 59% | 24135m |
| 18:00 | ✓ | 36% | 61% | 22359m |
| 19:00 | ✕ | 20% | 64% | 24134m |
| 20:00 | ✕ | 6.6% | 56% | 24135m |
| 21:00 | ✕ | 6.6% | 47% | 24134m |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 9% | 39% | 24134m |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 7% | 33% | 24135m |
| Tue, Feb 24 | ||||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 7% | 28% | 24135m |
| 01:00 | ✕ | 7.4% | 22% | 24134m |
| 02:00 | ✕ | 7.4% | 22% | 24135m |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 7.4% | 22% | 24134m |
| 04:00 | ✕ | 7.4% | 22% | 24134m |
| 05:00 | ✕ | 7.8% | 28% | 24135m |
| 06:00 | ✕ | 7.8% | 33% | 24135m |
| 07:00 | ✓ | 47% | 39% | 21263m |
| 08:00 | ✓ | 47% | 26% | 21478m |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 7.4% | 13% | 24135m |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 7.4% | 0% | 24135m |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 5.4% | 0% | 1708m |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 5.2% | 0% | 357m |
| 13:00 | ✕ | 9.3% | 0% | 615m |
| 14:00 | ✕ | 12% | 0% | 650m |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 11% | 0% | 688m |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 6.1% | 0% | 320m |
| 17:00 | ✓ | 29% | 0% | 152m |
| 18:00 | ✓ | 44% | 0% | 10200m |
| 19:00 | ✕ | 26% | 0% | 24134m |
| 20:00 | ✕ | 8.4% | 0% | 24135m |
| 21:00 | ✕ | 9.4% | 0% | 24135m |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 9.4% | 0% | 24134m |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 9.4% | 0% | 24134m |
| Wed, Feb 25 | ||||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 16% | 0% | 24135m |
| 01:00 | ✕ | 15% | 0% | 24134m |
| 02:00 | ✕ | 14% | 0% | 24135m |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 15% | 0% | 24135m |
| 04:00 | ✕ | 14% | 0% | 24134m |
| 05:00 | ✕ | 15% | 0% | 24135m |
| 06:00 | ✕ | 14% | 0% | 24134m |
| 07:00 | ✓ | 86% | 0% | 24135m |
| 08:00 | ✓ | 87% | 0% | 24135m |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 15% | 0% | 24135m |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 15% | 0% | 24135m |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 15% | 0% | 24135m |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 14% | 0% | 24135m |
| 13:00 | ✕ | 15% | 0% | 24135m |
| 14:00 | ✕ | 14% | 0% | 24135m |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 14% | 0% | 24135m |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 14% | 0% | 24135m |
| 17:00 | ✓ | 84% | 0% | 24135m |
| 18:00 | ✓ | 82% | 0% | 24135m |
| 19:00 | ✕ | 75% | 0% | 24135m |
| 20:00 | ✕ | 14% | 0% | 24135m |
| 21:00 | ✕ | 10% | 0% | 24135m |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 7.6% | 0% | 24135m |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 6.6% | 0% | 24135m |
| Thu, Feb 26 | ||||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 6.6% | 0% | 24135m |
How to read: colored cells show whether each predicate requirement is met; highlighted rows mean the full rule matched (an opportunity).
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 Europe/Amsterdam | Golden Hour | High Clouds % | Low Clouds % | Mid-Level Clouds % | Relative Humidity % | Total Cloud Coverage % | Wind Speed m/s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Feb 23
Sunrise 07:41
Sunset 18:08 | |||||||
| 03:00 ☾ | - | 53% | 5% | 0% | 93% | 53% | 8.8m/s |
| 04:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 5% | 0% | 91% | 5% | 8.9m/s |
| 05:00 ☾ | - | 3% | 20% | 0% | 92% | 20% | 9.1m/s |
| 06:00 ☾ | - | 1% | 8% | 0% | 91% | 8% | 8.6m/s |
| 07:00 ☾ | - | 29% | 5% | 0% | 88% | 29% | 9.1m/s |
| 08:00 | - | 5% | 5% | 0% | 87% | 5% | 9.5m/s |
| 09:00 | - | 2% | 15% | 1% | 86% | 15% | 9.8m/s |
| 10:00 | - | 40% | 24% | 0% | 85% | 49% | 11m/s |
| 11:00 | - | 100% | 6% | 0% | 82% | 100% | 10m/s |
| 12:00 | - | 100% | 100% | 0% | 82% | 100% | 10m/s |
| 13:00 | - | 100% | 89% | 0% | 85% | 100% | 12m/s |
| 14:00 | - | 100% | 90% | 68% | 86% | 100% | 11m/s |
| 15:00 | - | 100% | 68% | 82% | 86% | 100% | 11m/s |
| 16:00 | - | 100% | 100% | 100% | 88% | 100% | 10m/s |
| 17:00 | - | 100% | 89% | 82% | 89% | 100% | 9.2m/s |
| 18:00 | - | 83% | 100% | 10% | 92% | 100% | 8.1m/s |
| 19:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 5% | 100% | 92% | 100% | 7.1m/s |
| 20:00 ☾ | - | 85% | 5% | 100% | 92% | 100% | 6.7m/s |
| 21:00 ☾ | - | 82% | 3% | 100% | 92% | 100% | 6m/s |
| 22:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 5% | 100% | 95% | 100% | 5.2m/s |
| 23:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 42% | 100% | 96% | 100% | 5.6m/s |
| Tue, Feb 24
Sunrise 07:41
Sunset 18:08 | |||||||
| 24:00 ☾ | - | 47% | 98% | 100% | 95% | 100% | 5m/s |
| 01:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 100% | 100% | 96% | 100% | 4.2m/s |
| 02:00 ☾ | - | 29% | 100% | 100% | 96% | 100% | 3.3m/s |
| 03:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 100% | 100% | 97% | 100% | 3.1m/s |
| 04:00 ☾ | - | 98% | 100% | 100% | 97% | 100% | 2.8m/s |
| 05:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 100% | 100% | 97% | 100% | 2.3m/s |
| 06:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 100% | 100% | 96% | 100% | 2.3m/s |
| 07:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 100% | 87% | 96% | 100% | 2m/s |
| 08:00 | - | 100% | 100% | 87% | 97% | 100% | 2.6m/s |
| 09:00 | - | 99% | 100% | 20% | 97% | 100% | 3m/s |
| 10:00 | - | 95% | 100% | 9% | 95% | 100% | 3.5m/s |
| 11:00 | - | 30% | 100% | 16% | 97% | 100% | 3.9m/s |
| 12:00 | - | 22% | 90% | 5% | 98% | 90% | 3.9m/s |
| 13:00 | - | 8% | 48% | 5% | 92% | 48% | 4.6m/s |
| 14:00 | - | 5% | 34% | 3% | 89% | 34% | 5.3m/s |
| 15:00 | - | 5% | 38% | 2% | 91% | 38% | 5.7m/s |
| 16:00 | - | 5% | 73% | 0% | 94% | 73% | 5.3m/s |
| 17:00 | - | 11% | 100% | 0% | 96% | 100% | 5m/s |
| 18:00 | - | 28% | 100% | 0% | 96% | 100% | 4.8m/s |
| 19:00 ☾ | - | 62% | 100% | 0% | 96% | 100% | 4.3m/s |
| 20:00 ☾ | - | 96% | 56% | 0% | 95% | 96% | 3.6m/s |
| 21:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 0% | 0% | 96% | 100% | 3.2m/s |
| 22:00 ☾ | - | 89% | 0% | 0% | 95% | 89% | 3.6m/s |
| 23:00 ☾ | - | 96% | 0% | 0% | 95% | 96% | 3.8m/s |
| Wed, Feb 25
Sunrise 07:39
Sunset 18:10 | |||||||
| 24:00 ☾ | - | 21% | 0% | 0% | 94% | 21% | 4m/s |
| 01:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 0% | 0% | 94% | 5% | 4.2m/s |
| 02:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 0% | 0% | 93% | 5% | 4.2m/s |
| 03:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 0% | 0% | 93% | 5% | 4.1m/s |
| 04:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 0% | 0% | 92% | 5% | 4m/s |
| 05:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 0% | 0% | 92% | 5% | 3.9m/s |
| 06:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 0% | 0% | 92% | 0% | 4m/s |
| 07:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 0% | 0% | 92% | 0% | 4.2m/s |
| 08:00 | - | 0% | 0% | 0% | 88% | 0% | 4.6m/s |
| 09:00 | - | 0% | 0% | 0% | 83% | 0% | 5m/s |
| 10:00 | - | 0% | 0% | 0% | 79% | 0% | 5.4m/s |
| 11:00 | - | 2% | 0% | 2% | 81% | 2% | 5.6m/s |
| 12:00 | - | 3% | 0% | 3% | 83% | 3% | 5.7m/s |
| 13:00 | - | 5% | 0% | 5% | 85% | 5% | 5.8m/s |
| 14:00 | - | 3% | 0% | 3% | 86% | 3% | 5.9m/s |
| 15:00 | - | 2% | 0% | 2% | 87% | 2% | 5.9m/s |
| 16:00 | - | 0% | 0% | 0% | 88% | 0% | 6m/s |
| 17:00 | - | 1% | 0% | 0% | 90% | 1% | 6.1m/s |
| 18:00 | - | 2% | 0% | 0% | 92% | 2% | 6.3m/s |
| 19:00 ☾ | - | 3% | 0% | 0% | 94% | 3% | 6.4m/s |
| 20:00 ☾ | - | 27% | 0% | 33% | 94% | 36% | 6.3m/s |
| 21:00 ☾ | - | 51% | 0% | 67% | 95% | 68% | 6.1m/s |
| 22:00 ☾ | - | 75% | 0% | 100% | 96% | 100% | 6m/s |
| 23:00 ☾ | - | 83% | 2% | 100% | 96% | 100% | 6.4m/s |
| Thu, Feb 26
Sunrise 07:36
Sunset 18:12 | |||||||
| 24:00 ☾ | - | 91% | 3% | 100% | 96% | 100% | 6.8m/s |
| 01:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 5% | 100% | 95% | 100% | 7.2m/s |
| 02:00 ☾ | - | 66% | 3% | 67% | 94% | 67% | 8.4m/s |
How to read: these inputs help produce the derived score; they are not requirements by themselves.
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