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Rule Storm Chaser

Port Angeles - Storm Chaser - Pacific Northwest

Port Angeles, Washington, United States

Dramatic storm conditions — from atmospheric builds to active thunderstorms

No opportunities right now
Here’s what usually blocks matches

No Storm Chaser opportunities in the next 14 days

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Rule requirements (key thresholds)
Storm Intensity · ≥ 55.0% Cloud Drama Score · ≥ 55.0% CAPE · ≥ 1200.0J/kg Lifted Index · ≤ -2.0°C

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

Most common blockers (next 72 hours)
CAPE 100% failing
Storm Intensity 99% failing
Cloud Drama Score 79% failing

Currently

Real-time conditions
Cloud Cover100%
Wind Gusts4.6m/s
Precipitation Chance100%
Air Pressure915.5hPa
CAPE0
Lifted Index2.0°C
Wind Gusts4.6m/s
Precipitation0.9mm

Upcoming Opportunities

When all conditions match, PhotoWeather marks an opportunity window.

Times shown in America/Los_Angeles

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 Pacific storm systems hitting the Northwest coast, identifying when conditions create dramatic photography opportunities while balancing safety considerations. We monitor storm intensity, wave height, wind patterns, and King Tide timing to predict optimal storm photography windows.

The Pacific Northwest receives powerful storm systems throughout fall and winter, creating spectacular wave action along its rugged coastline. These storms combine with the region's dramatic sea stacks, headlands, and coastal forests to produce compelling images. Winter "King Tides"—exceptionally high tides—amplify storm impacts.

What makes the Pacific Northwest special for storm photography:

  • Pacific storm power - Powerful winter systems bring dramatic wave action to exposed coastlines
  • King Tides - December-February extreme high tides create exceptional wave drama
  • Haystack Rock storms - Cannon Beach's iconic sea stack withstanding storm waves
  • Cape Disappointment - One of the most dangerous bar crossings offers dramatic lighthouse storm scenes

Cannon Beach becomes a premier storm photography destination during winter storm events, particularly during King Tides when waves can reach spectacular heights around Haystack Rock and the surrounding sea stacks. The combination of accessible beach, dramatic rock formations, and powerful Pacific swells creates world-class opportunities. Cape Disappointment at the mouth of the Columbia River offers lighthouse drama during storms—waves crash against the rocky headland while the historic lighthouse stands sentinel. Shore Acres State Park near Coos Bay features a protected viewing platform where photographers can safely capture massive storm waves exploding against the cliff face. The Olympic coast provides wilderness storm photography with sea stacks and rugged shoreline. Safety is essential—our forecast helps identify conditions that are dramatic but manageable, tracking when peak storm intensity has passed but seas remain photogenic. Never turn your back on the ocean, watch for sneaker waves, and maintain safe distances from surf.

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72-hour requirements breakdown

What passed or failed, hour by hour
0matching hours in the next 95 hours
OR logic: one branch per group is enough
Meets requirement
Misses requirement
Time
America/Los_Angeles
Storm Intensity
≥ 55.0%
Cloud Drama Score
≥ 55.0%
CAPE
OR1·B1
≥ 1200.0J/kg
Lifted Index
OR1·B2
≤ -2.0°C
Visibility
≥ 2500.0m
Wind Gusts
≤ 22.0m/s
Sat, Feb 21
17:0037%67%0J/kg3.9°C521m5.8m/s
18:0042%67%0J/kg4.4°C580m5.9m/s
19:0044%0.7%0J/kg4.2°C4683m6.2m/s
20:0027%0%0J/kg4.5°C7229m6.1m/s
21:0025%0%0J/kg4.4°C7128m5.9m/s
22:0045%3.8%0J/kg4°C6820m6m/s
23:000%0.2%0J/kg3.4°C7421m6.5m/s
Sun, Feb 22
24:0018%2%0J/kg3.8°C8054m6.2m/s
01:0031%0.1%0J/kg4°C24135m6.3m/s
02:0016%0%0J/kg3.3°C10083m6.8m/s
03:0015%0%0J/kg3.2°C16559m6.1m/s
04:0033%0%0J/kg3.9°C20619m5.7m/s
05:0020%0%0J/kg2.8°C7206m6.7m/s
06:0020%60%0J/kg3.4°C8274m6.5m/s
07:0045%64%0J/kg4.2°C6332m6.5m/s
08:0022%60%1J/kg3.6°C5851m5.3m/s
09:0036%53%0J/kg2.7°C3217m3.9m/s
10:0050%55%4J/kg3.7°C3059m3.4m/s
11:0029%49%24J/kg3.9°C1237m3.6m/s
12:0017%66%30J/kg4.4°C7785m4.5m/s
13:0032%79%14J/kg4.1°C24134m3.5m/s
14:0014%79%4J/kg3.7°C18582m3.8m/s
15:0026%60%8J/kg2.5°C2094m3.3m/s
16:0041%65%4J/kg1.2°C1821m4.3m/s
17:0018%69%0J/kg1.7°C1288m4.3m/s
18:000%57%0J/kg2°C5744m4.6m/s
19:0046%9.2%0J/kg0.6°C730m3.6m/s
20:0033%0%0J/kg1.4°C1235m3.7m/s
21:0042%0.8%0J/kg1.7°C922m2.4m/s
22:0054%0.6%0J/kg2.3°C836m3m/s
23:0027%0.3%0J/kg2.5°C2920m2.6m/s
Mon, Feb 23
24:0034%0.6%0J/kg1.9°C632m1.8m/s
01:0041%2.5%0J/kg2.1°C3007m3.8m/s
02:0040%4.1%0J/kg2.6°C558m3.8m/s
03:0040%12%0J/kg2.3°C742m2.7m/s
04:0058%2.7%0J/kg1.7°C595m3.5m/s
05:0033%5.2%0J/kg1.4°C1616m3.6m/s
06:0040%50%4J/kg3.8°C467m2.9m/s
07:0050%63%0J/kg4.3°C653m2.6m/s
08:0038%67%3J/kg6.6°C663m3.8m/s
09:0042%63%1J/kg5.8°C573m2.6m/s
10:0054%63%17J/kg7.2°C170m2m/s
11:000%54%60J/kg6.7°C5373m2.6m/s
12:000%51%18J/kg8.2°C24134m2.9m/s
13:0020%75%10J/kg9.6°C24134m2.3m/s
14:000%57%3J/kg11°C24135m1.6m/s
15:000%54%5J/kg10°C24135m1.3m/s
16:0018%52%4J/kg12°C24134m1.5m/s
17:000%59%7J/kg11°C24130m1.5m/s
18:0018%67%5J/kg11°C689m1.8m/s
19:0034%6.9%6J/kg11°C267m1.6m/s
20:0018%12%0J/kg11°C990m1.1m/s
21:0016%5.6%0J/kg11°C1091m0.71m/s
22:0034%3.3%0J/kg11°C73m1.1m/s
23:0019%3%0J/kg10°C38m2m/s
Tue, Feb 24
24:0019%1%1J/kg9.3°C42m2.5m/s
01:0036%5.5%0J/kg9.3°C43m2.9m/s
02:0019%6.6%0J/kg9.2°C45m2.4m/s
03:0019%12%0J/kg9.5°C53m2.2m/s
04:0038%13%0J/kg8.9°C60m2.5m/s
05:0018%10%0J/kg9°C178m2.2m/s
06:0019%53%0J/kg8.8°C259m1.5m/s
07:0036%34%0J/kg9.9°C100m1.5m/s
08:0018%37%0J/kg9.5°C153m1.3m/s
09:0019%31%0J/kg9.7°C124m1.1m/s
10:0036%25%0J/kg10°C133m0.71m/s
11:0017%47%0J/kg9.8°C302m0.62m/s
12:000%47%0J/kg10°C6242m1.3m/s
13:0022%45%2J/kg11°C7160m1.9m/s
14:000%44%6J/kg9.4°C6813m2.2m/s
15:000%59%16J/kg7.7°C15885m2.5m/s
16:0019%61%15J/kg6.5°C10267m2.9m/s
17:000%57%7J/kg6.1°C20819m2.6m/s
18:000%29%0J/kg6.8°C24135m1.6m/s
19:0018%15%0J/kg8.3°C24134m3m/s
20:000%14%0J/kg11°C19969m3.7m/s
21:000%14%0J/kg12°C24134m4m/s
22:0022%11%0J/kg12°C6854m3.8m/s
23:000%12%0J/kg13°C7394m3.9m/s
Wed, Feb 25
24:000%13%0J/kg13°C7935m3.9m/s
01:0020%14%0J/kg14°C8475m3.9m/s
02:000%11%0J/kg14°C13695m3.8m/s
03:000%13%0J/kg14°C18915m3.7m/s
04:0018%13%0J/kg14°C24135m3.5m/s
05:000%0%5.7J/kg14°C16748m3.3m/s
06:000%47%11J/kg14°C9361m3.1m/s
07:0035%52%17J/kg14°C1974m2.9m/s
08:000%55%11J/kg13°C9141m3.1m/s
09:000%51%5.7J/kg12°C16308m3.2m/s
10:0020%51%0J/kg12°C23475m3.3m/s
11:000%45%0J/kg11°C23695m3.4m/s
12:000%51%0J/kg11°C23915m3.6m/s
13:0020%51%0J/kg10°C24135m3.7m/s
14:000%76%0J/kg9.9°C18124m4m/s
15:000%51%0J/kg9.6°C12113m4.3m/s
How to read: colored cells show whether each predicate requirement is met; highlighted rows mean the full rule matched (an opportunity). For OR groups, only one branch is required, so some OR-branch predicates can be ✕ even in a matching hour.

What does Cloud Drama Score 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
America/Los_Angeles
Air Pressure
hPa
CAPE
J/kg
High Clouds
%
Lifted Index
°C
Low Clouds
%
Mid-Level Clouds
%
Precipitation Chance
%
Rainfall
mm
Relative Humidity
%
Showers
mm
Simulated Reflectivity
dBZ
Solar Elevation
°
Total Cloud Coverage
%
Total Precipitation
mm
Wind Shear 0-3 km
m/s
Wind Shear 0-6 km
m/s
Wind Speed
m/s
Sun, Feb 22 Sunrise 07:05 Sunset 17:47
18:00
916hPa 0J/kg 0% 2°C 100% 100% 100% 0.59mm 97% 0mm 27dBZ -2.8° 100% 0.88mm - - 2.6m/s
19:00
915hPa 0J/kg 0% 0.6°C 97% 51% 100% 0.77mm 98% 0mm 28dBZ -13° 97% 2.6mm 12m/s 33m/s 1.8m/s
20:00
916hPa 0J/kg 0% 1.4°C 100% 100% 100% 1.5mm 98% 0mm 30dBZ -23° 100% 3.9mm - - 1.9m/s
21:00
916hPa 0J/kg 0% 1.7°C 100% 93% 100% 2.3mm 98% 0mm 31dBZ -32° 100% 5.2mm - - 1.3m/s
22:00
916hPa 0J/kg 0% 2.3°C 100% 100% 100% 1.2mm 98% 0mm 32dBZ -41° 100% 6.7mm 15m/s 36m/s 1.5m/s
23:00
916hPa 0J/kg 0% 2.5°C 100% 100% 100% 1.4mm 98% 0mm 27dBZ -48° 100% 0.94mm - - 1.1m/s
Mon, Feb 23 Sunrise 07:05 Sunset 17:47
24:00
916hPa 0J/kg 0% 1.9°C 100% 100% 99% 1.8mm 99% 0mm 23dBZ -51° 100% 2.8mm - - 0.86m/s
01:00
916hPa 0J/kg 0% 2.1°C 92% 100% 99% 1.1mm 98% 0mm 18dBZ -51° 100% 4.4mm 14m/s 40m/s 2m/s
02:00
915hPa 0J/kg 0% 2.6°C 100% 100% 99% 2.5mm 99% 0mm 22dBZ -47° 100% 5.4mm - - 1.8m/s
03:00
914hPa 0J/kg 0% 2.3°C 100% 100% 99% 2.8mm 99% 0mm 26dBZ -40° 100% 7.6mm - - 1.6m/s
04:00
914hPa 0J/kg 0% 1.7°C 100% 100% 99% 2.9mm 99% 0.01mm 30dBZ -31° 100% 10mm 24m/s 50m/s 2.2m/s
05:00
914hPa 0J/kg 0% 1.4°C 100% 100% 87% 3.5mm 99% 0mm 23dBZ -22° 100% 2.1mm - - 2.3m/s
06:00
915hPa 4J/kg 0% 3.8°C 100% 100% 75% 3.1mm 99% 0mm 16dBZ -12° 100% 5.6mm - - 1.8m/s
07:00
915hPa 0J/kg 0% 4.3°C 100% 99% 64% 1.2mm 98% 0mm 8.6dBZ -1.6° 100% 7.7mm 22m/s 48m/s 1.7m/s
08:00
916hPa 3J/kg 0% 6.6°C 100% 100% 75% 1.4mm 98% 0.01mm 1.6dBZ 7.9° 100% 8.8mm - - 2.2m/s
09:00
916hPa 1J/kg 0% 5.8°C 100% 100% 85% 1.9mm 99% 0mm -5.4dBZ 16° 100% 10mm - - 1.1m/s
10:00
916hPa 17J/kg 3% 7.2°C 100% 100% 96% 0.64mm 98% 0.04mm -12dBZ 24° 100% 11mm 17m/s 39m/s 0.81m/s
11:00
917hPa 60J/kg 100% 6.7°C 90% 100% 85% 0.12mm 96% 0.11mm -11dBZ 29° 100% 0.38mm - - 1.5m/s
12:00
918hPa 18J/kg 99% 8.2°C 100% 100% 75% 0mm 88% 0.02mm -8.8dBZ 32° 100% 0.5mm - - 1.8m/s
13:00
917hPa 10J/kg 64% 9.6°C 56% 75% 64% 0mm 85% 0.02mm -7dBZ 32° 76% 0.56mm 11m/s 44m/s 1.2m/s
14:00
917hPa 3J/kg 100% 11°C 26% 96% 62% 0mm 80% 0.01mm -0.43dBZ 29° 100% 0.63mm - - 0.62m/s
15:00
917hPa 5J/kg 100% 10°C 5% 62% 59% 0mm 82% 0.03mm 6.1dBZ 23° 100% 0.63mm - - 0.44m/s
16:00
917hPa 4J/kg 100% 12°C 6% 97% 57% 0mm 88% 0.04mm 13dBZ 16° 100% 0.69mm 1.3m/s 45m/s 0.75m/s
17:00
917hPa 7J/kg 100% 11°C 8% 100% 44% 0mm 95% 0.08mm 5.1dBZ 7.1° 100% 0.06mm - - 0.89m/s
18:00
916hPa 5J/kg 100% 11°C 52% 100% 30% 0mm 98% 0.06mm -2.5dBZ -2.5° 100% 0.13mm - - 0.53m/s
19:00
916hPa 6J/kg 100% 11°C 84% 100% 17% 0.02mm 99% 0.03mm -10dBZ -13° 100% 0.13mm 1.8m/s 41m/s 0.28m/s
20:00
916hPa 0J/kg 77% 11°C 90% 100% 17% 0.03mm 98% 0.06mm -13dBZ -22° 100% 0.25mm - - 0.43m/s
21:00
916hPa 0J/kg 4% 11°C 93% 100% 18% 0.07mm 98% 0.03mm -17dBZ -32° 100% 0.31mm - - 0.36m/s
22:00
916hPa 0J/kg 4% 11°C 94% 100% 18% 0.08mm 99% 0.03mm -20dBZ -41° 100% 0.38mm 3.7m/s 35m/s 0.92m/s
23:00
915hPa 0J/kg 2% 10°C 98% 100% 19% 0.15mm 99% 0.06mm -18dBZ -47° 100% 0.19mm - - 1.4m/s
Tue, Feb 24 Sunrise 07:04 Sunset 17:48
24:00
915hPa 1J/kg 0% 9.3°C 100% 100% 20% 0.07mm 99% 0.07mm -15dBZ -51° 100% 0.31mm - - 1.6m/s
01:00
914hPa 0J/kg 0% 9.3°C 100% 100% 21% 0.05mm 99% 0.06mm -13dBZ -51° 100% 0.5mm 6.8m/s 36m/s 1.9m/s
02:00
914hPa 0J/kg 0% 9.2°C 100% 100% 25% 0.08mm 99% 0.07mm -6.6dBZ -47° 100% 0.63mm - - 1.3m/s
03:00
914hPa 0J/kg 0% 9.5°C 100% 85% 29% 0.19mm 99% 0.03mm -0.58dBZ -40° 100% 0.81mm - - 1.2m/s
04:00
913hPa 0J/kg 0% 8.9°C 100% 52% 33% 0.11mm 99% 0.01mm 5.5dBZ -31° 100% 1mm 4.8m/s 33m/s 1.6m/s
05:00
912hPa 0J/kg 0% 9°C 100% 74% 34% 0.03mm 96% 0.01mm 6.4dBZ -21° 100% 0.06mm - - 1.6m/s
06:00
912hPa 0J/kg 0% 8.8°C 100% 41% 36% 0.11mm 96% 0.01mm 7.4dBZ -11° 100% 0.13mm - - 1.3m/s
07:00
912hPa 0J/kg 0% 9.9°C 100% 3% 37% 0.07mm 99% 0.01mm 8.3dBZ -1.2° 100% 0.19mm 7.3m/s 33m/s 1m/s
08:00
912hPa 0J/kg 0% 9.5°C 100% 2% 43% 0.04mm 98% 0mm 9.3dBZ 8.2° 100% 0.25mm - - 0.8m/s
09:00
912hPa 0J/kg 0% 9.7°C 97% 5% 50% 0.03mm 97% 0.01mm 10dBZ 17° 97% 0.31mm - - 0.86m/s
10:00
912hPa 0J/kg 0% 10°C 96% 5% 56% 0.09mm 96% 0.01mm 11dBZ 24° 96% 0.38mm 8.8m/s 33m/s 0.84m/s
11:00
912hPa 0J/kg 0% 9.8°C 92% 81% 43% 0.09mm 94% 0.01mm 8dBZ 30° 92% 0.06mm - - 0.67m/s
12:00
912hPa 0J/kg 0% 10°C 94% 61% 30% 0.08mm 92% 0.03mm 4.4dBZ 32° 94% 0.19mm - - 1.3m/s
13:00
912hPa 2J/kg 0% 11°C 89% 12% 17% 0.04mm 89% 0.03mm 0.94dBZ 32° 89% 0.31mm 11m/s 33m/s 1.5m/s
14:00
911hPa 6J/kg 0% 9.4°C 77% 0% 22% 0.03mm 90% 0.06mm -0.2dBZ 29° 77% 0.38mm - - 1.6m/s
15:00
912hPa 16J/kg 0% 7.7°C 59% 0% 28% 0.01mm 89% 0.06mm -1.4dBZ 24° 59% 0.44mm - - 1.8m/s
16:00
912hPa 15J/kg 0% 6.5°C 48% 0% 33% 0mm 86% 0.07mm -2.5dBZ 16° 48% 0.56mm 8.3m/s 28m/s 1.9m/s
17:00
912hPa 7J/kg 0% 6.1°C 22% 0% 31% 0mm 91% 0.05mm -8.3dBZ 7.3° 22% 0.06mm - - 1.6m/s
18:00
912hPa 0J/kg 0% 6.8°C 5% 0% 28% 0mm 95% 0mm -14dBZ -2.2° 5% 0.06mm - - 2.1m/s
19:00
913hPa 0J/kg 0% 8.3°C 19% 0% 26% 0.01mm 95% 0mm -20dBZ -12° 19% 0.06mm 11m/s 16m/s 3m/s
20:00
913hPa 0J/kg 0% 11°C 62% 0% 39% 0.03mm 94% 0mm -15dBZ -22° 62% 0.06mm - - 3.2m/s
21:00
914hPa 0J/kg 0% 12°C 8% 0% 52% 0.01mm 93% 0.01mm -9.7dBZ -32° 8% 0.06mm - - 3.1m/s
22:00
915hPa 0J/kg 0% 12°C 90% 0% 65% 0.07mm 94% 0mm -4.5dBZ -40° 90% 0.13mm 15m/s 20m/s 3.2m/s
23:00
916hPa 0J/kg 0% 13°C 72% 12% 67% 0.07mm 94% 0.01mm -2.9dBZ -47° 77% 0.25mm - - 3.1m/s
Wed, Feb 25 Sunrise 07:02 Sunset 17:50
24:00
917hPa 0J/kg 0% 13°C 54% 24% 69% 0.06mm 94% 0.02mm -1.4dBZ -51° 65% 0.38mm - - 3m/s
01:00
918hPa 0J/kg 0% 14°C 36% 35% 71% 0.06mm 94% 0.03mm 0.19dBZ -50° 52% 0.5mm 17m/s 17m/s 2.9m/s
02:00
919hPa 0J/kg 0% 14°C 35% 25% 75% 0.08mm 91% 0.02mm 0.72dBZ -46° 46% 0.56mm - - 2.7m/s
03:00
920hPa 0J/kg 0% 14°C 34% 15% 80% 0.09mm 88% 0.02mm 1.3dBZ -39° 40% 0.63mm - - 2.5m/s
04:00
920hPa 0J/kg 0% 14°C 33% 5% 84% 0.11mm 85% 0.01mm 1.8dBZ -31° 33% 0.69mm 16m/s 18m/s 2.4m/s
05:00
921hPa 5.7J/kg 0% 14°C 39% 3% 79% 0.09mm 86% 0.04mm -0.21dBZ -21° 39% 0.6mm - - 2m/s
06:00
921hPa 11J/kg 0% 14°C 45% 2% 74% 0.06mm 86% 0.08mm -2.2dBZ -11° 45% 0.52mm - - 1.7m/s
07:00
921hPa 17J/kg 0% 14°C 51% 0% 69% 0.04mm 86% 0.11mm -4.2dBZ -0.87° 51% 0.44mm 16m/s 21m/s 1.3m/s
08:00
922hPa 11J/kg 0% 13°C 47% 0% 73% 0.04mm 86% 0.08mm -9.5dBZ 8.5° 47% 0.52mm - - 1.5m/s
09:00
922hPa 5.7J/kg 0% 12°C 43% 0% 77% 0.04mm 86% 0.04mm -15dBZ 17° 43% 0.6mm - - 1.7m/s
10:00
922hPa 0J/kg 0% 12°C 39% 0% 81% 0.04mm 87% 0.01mm -20dBZ 24° 39% 0.69mm 18m/s 24m/s 1.9m/s
11:00
922hPa 0J/kg 0% 11°C 42% 3% 70% 0.03mm 89% 0.007mm -9.4dBZ 30° 42% 0.48mm - - 2.3m/s
12:00
922hPa 0J/kg 1% 11°C 45% 5% 59% 0.01mm 92% 0.003mm 1.2dBZ 33° 45% 0.27mm - - 2.8m/s
13:00
923hPa 0J/kg 2% 10°C 48% 8% 49% 0mm 94% 0mm 12dBZ 33° 48% 0.06mm 20m/s 23m/s 3.2m/s
14:00
923hPa 0J/kg 34% 9.9°C 43% 6% 48% 0mm 94% 0mm 2.4dBZ 29° 65% 0.06mm - - 3.4m/s
15:00
923hPa 0J/kg 67% 9.6°C 37% 4% 47% 0mm 94% 0mm -7dBZ 24° 83% 0.06mm - - 3.5m/s
16:00
923hPa 0J/kg 100% 9.3°C 32% 2% 46% 0mm 95% 0mm -16dBZ 16° 100% 0.06mm 18m/s 21m/s 3.7m/s
17:00
923hPa 0J/kg 96% 9.8°C 46% 2% 45% 0mm 94% 0mm -18dBZ 7.6° 97% 0.04mm - - 3.5m/s
How to read: these inputs help produce the derived score; they are not requirements by themselves.

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