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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)
Storm Intensity 100% failing
CAPE 100% failing
Cloud Drama Score 79% failing

Currently

Real-time conditions
Cloud Cover74%
Wind Gusts1.2m/s
Precipitation Chance0%
Air Pressure916.4hPa
CAPE0
Lifted Index10.0°C
Wind Gusts1.2m/s
Precipitation0.0mm

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, May 23
06:000%58%0J/kg3.9°C24134m1.3m/s
07:000%73%0J/kg6.3°C24135m1.1m/s
08:0013%60%0J/kg6.3°C24134m1.3m/s
09:000%17%0J/kg6.3°C24135m1.9m/s
10:000%42%0J/kg5.9°C24135m2.7m/s
11:0013%50%0J/kg5.9°C24134m3.1m/s
12:000%31%0J/kg5.1°C24135m3.7m/s
13:000%21%0J/kg4.7°C24134m3.9m/s
14:0016%20%0J/kg4.5°C24135m3.8m/s
15:000%30%0J/kg4.4°C24135m4.3m/s
16:000%36%0J/kg4.8°C24135m4.5m/s
17:0018%39%0J/kg5.4°C24135m4.4m/s
18:000%38%0J/kg5.6°C24135m4.1m/s
19:000%84%0J/kg5.8°C24135m3.7m/s
20:0015%77%0J/kg7.1°C24135m4.3m/s
21:000%32%0J/kg7.1°C24134m3.3m/s
22:000%46%0J/kg7.2°C24135m3.2m/s
23:0015%13%0J/kg7.4°C24134m2.9m/s
Sun, May 24
24:000%14%0J/kg7.7°C24134m2.1m/s
01:000%13%0J/kg8.2°C24134m1.8m/s
02:0016%13%0J/kg8.9°C24134m1.6m/s
03:000%12%0J/kg8.9°C24135m1.7m/s
04:000%22%0J/kg10°C24134m1.6m/s
05:0016%22%0J/kg9.6°C24135m1.7m/s
06:000%48%0J/kg10°C24135m1.2m/s
07:000%37%0J/kg11°C24135m0.51m/s
08:0016%62%0J/kg11°C24134m1.2m/s
09:000%18%0J/kg12°C24134m1.9m/s
10:000%15%0J/kg11°C24134m2.3m/s
11:0016%33%0J/kg11°C24134m2.9m/s
12:000%22%0J/kg10°C24135m3.1m/s
13:000%12%0J/kg9.9°C24134m3.4m/s
14:0016%14%0J/kg9.5°C24135m3.1m/s
15:000%34%0J/kg9°C24134m3.2m/s
16:000%48%0J/kg8.7°C24135m3m/s
17:0018%65%0J/kg7.9°C24135m2.7m/s
18:000%38%0J/kg7.9°C24135m3.4m/s
19:000%47%0J/kg7.8°C24135m3.4m/s
20:0017%53%0J/kg8.4°C24135m1.5m/s
21:000%49%0J/kg9.1°C24134m2.9m/s
22:000%47%0J/kg9.9°C24134m3m/s
23:0019%2.6%0J/kg10°C24134m3m/s
Mon, May 25
24:000%4.3%0J/kg11°C24135m3m/s
01:000%0.1%0J/kg12°C24134m3.3m/s
02:0018%0%0J/kg12°C24135m2.3m/s
03:000%0.1%0J/kg13°C24135m2.2m/s
04:000%55%0J/kg13°C18711m2.4m/s
05:0039%67%0J/kg11°C5909m5.5m/s
06:0018%84%0J/kg11°C12159m6.5m/s
07:0033%65%0J/kg9.9°C3556m6.7m/s
08:0047%55%0J/kg9°C4908m6.9m/s
09:0025%47%0J/kg8.4°C5925m5.9m/s
10:0025%46%3J/kg7.8°C6049m6.2m/s
11:0048%43%0J/kg7.8°C5989m5.3m/s
12:000%64%0J/kg6.9°C5889m4.2m/s
13:0017%28%8J/kg6.3°C5172m3.2m/s
14:0036%28%3J/kg6.2°C5797m3.1m/s
15:0026%45%6J/kg5.1°C4698m2.3m/s
16:0026%53%14J/kg4°C2500m2.6m/s
17:0032%30%6J/kg3.5°C5691m2.4m/s
18:000%78%5J/kg3.4°C5714m2.4m/s
19:000%95%11J/kg3.4°C21175m2m/s
20:000%70%17J/kg4.3°C18806m1.2m/s
21:000%100%10J/kg5.2°C17056m1.1m/s
22:000%47%1J/kg6.1°C24134m1.3m/s
23:000%13%2J/kg6.6°C24135m1.4m/s
Tue, May 26
24:000%13%2J/kg6.9°C24134m1.5m/s
01:000%13%5J/kg6.7°C23830m1.5m/s
02:000%14%12J/kg6.3°C23900m1.4m/s
03:000%15%2J/kg6.4°C23848m1.1m/s
04:000%34%9J/kg6.3°C14641m0.6m/s
05:000%41%29J/kg6.4°C6013m1.6m/s
06:000%41%17J/kg6.8°C5792m1.9m/s
07:000%42%2J/kg7°C24135m1.1m/s
08:000%66%13J/kg6.3°C24135m1.7m/s
09:000%58%26J/kg5.6°C23376m2.5m/s
10:000%49%17J/kg5.3°C23630m2.3m/s
11:000%48%24J/kg5.2°C12234m2.6m/s
12:000%33%16J/kg5°C16201m2.4m/s
13:000%19%8J/kg4.8°C20168m2.3m/s
14:000%18%0J/kg4.5°C24135m2.1m/s
15:000%33%0.33J/kg6.3°C24135m1.7m/s
16:000%33%0.67J/kg8.1°C24135m1.4m/s
17:000%41%1J/kg9.9°C24135m1m/s
18:000%43%0.67J/kg10°C24135m1.1m/s
19:000%42%0.33J/kg10°C24135m1.2m/s
20:000%13%0J/kg10°C24135m1.3m/s
21:000%64%0J/kg10°C24135m1.3m/s
22:000%37%0J/kg10°C24135m1.3m/s
23:0016%0%0J/kg10°C24135m1.2m/s
Wed, May 27
24:000%0%0J/kg10°C24135m1.3m/s
01:000%0%0J/kg10°C24135m1.3m/s
02:000%0%0J/kg11°C24135m1.3m/s
03:000%0%0J/kg10°C23892m1.5m/s
04:000%43%0J/kg10°C23648m1.6m/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, May 24 Sunrise 05:24 Sunset 20:57
06:00
916hPa 0J/kg 74% 10°C 0% 5% 0% 0mm 56% 0mm -20dBZ 4.5° 74% 0mm - - 1.4m/s
07:00
917hPa 0J/kg 80% 11°C 0% 5% 0% 0mm 54% 0mm -20dBZ 14° 80% 0mm - - 0.1m/s
08:00
917hPa 0J/kg 52% 11°C 0% 5% 0% 0mm 50% 0mm -20dBZ 24° 52% 0mm 11m/s 18m/s 1.3m/s
09:00
917hPa 0J/kg 100% 12°C 1% 1% 0% 0mm 50% 0mm -20dBZ 34° 100% 0mm - - 2.3m/s
10:00
917hPa 0J/kg 98% 11°C 4% 5% 0% 0mm 46% 0mm -20dBZ 43° 98% 0mm - - 1.9m/s
11:00
917hPa 0J/kg 100% 11°C 5% 26% 0% 0mm 46% 0mm -20dBZ 52° 100% 0mm 9.8m/s 19m/s 3.2m/s
12:00
916hPa 0J/kg 94% 10°C 5% 5% 0% 0mm 46% 0mm -20dBZ 59° 94% 0mm - - 3.1m/s
13:00
916hPa 0J/kg 100% 9.9°C 4% 5% 0% 0mm 48% 0mm -20dBZ 63° 100% 0mm - - 3.5m/s
14:00
916hPa 0J/kg 100% 9.5°C 2% 5% 0% 0mm 47% 0mm -20dBZ 61° 100% 0mm 9.9m/s 20m/s 3.1m/s
15:00
915hPa 0J/kg 95% 9°C 5% 37% 0% 0mm 44% 0mm -20dBZ 55° 95% 0mm - - 2.9m/s
16:00
914hPa 0J/kg 90% 8.7°C 14% 34% 0% 0mm 44% 0mm -20dBZ 47° 91% 0mm - - 2.9m/s
17:00
914hPa 0J/kg 81% 7.9°C 32% 36% 0% 0mm 48% 0mm -20dBZ 37° 81% 0mm 10m/s 22m/s 2.7m/s
18:00
913hPa 0J/kg 93% 7.9°C 5% 12% 8% 0mm 54% 0mm -20dBZ 27° 93% 0mm - - 2.8m/s
19:00
913hPa 0J/kg 100% 7.8°C 5% 44% 17% 0mm 61% 0mm -20dBZ 17° 100% 0mm - - 1.5m/s
20:00
912hPa 0J/kg 100% 8.4°C 6% 87% 25% 0mm 69% 0mm -20dBZ 7.7° 100% 0mm 13m/s 23m/s 0.72m/s
21:00
912hPa 0J/kg 77% 9.1°C 5% 100% 34% 0mm 73% 0mm -18dBZ -0.87° 100% 0mm - - 1.6m/s
22:00
912hPa 0J/kg 95% 9.9°C 1% 74% 43% 0mm 72% 0mm -16dBZ -8.8° 96% 0mm - - 1.8m/s
23:00
911hPa 0J/kg 9% 10°C 3% 91% 52% 0mm 72% 0mm -15dBZ -15° 91% 0mm 15m/s 25m/s 1.9m/s
Mon, May 25 Sunrise 05:23 Sunset 20:58
24:00
911hPa 0J/kg 100% 11°C 9% 100% 68% 0mm 65% 0mm -7.3dBZ -19° 100% 0mm - - 2.3m/s
01:00
910hPa 0J/kg 100% 12°C 3% 71% 83% 0mm 55% 0mm 0.05dBZ -21° 100% 0mm - - 2.1m/s
02:00
910hPa 0J/kg 100% 12°C 99% 100% 98% 0mm 60% 0mm 7.4dBZ -20° 100% 0mm 19m/s 25m/s 0.91m/s
03:00
910hPa 0J/kg 100% 13°C 86% 94% 99% 0mm 64% 0mm 13dBZ -17° 100% 0mm - - 0.74m/s
04:00
910hPa 0J/kg 100% 13°C 100% 100% 99% 0.54mm 75% 0mm 19dBZ -11° 100% 0.19mm - - 1.2m/s
05:00
909hPa 0J/kg 78% 11°C 100% 100% 100% 2.2mm 92% 0mm 24dBZ -3.9° 100% 1.4mm 27m/s 31m/s 3.2m/s
06:00
908hPa 0J/kg 15% 11°C 100% 93% 100% 0.94mm 94% 0mm 26dBZ 4.6° 100% 1.6mm - - 4m/s
07:00
908hPa 0J/kg 5% 9.9°C 99% 82% 100% 1.5mm 94% 0mm 29dBZ 14° 100% 2.6mm - - 3.9m/s
08:00
907hPa 0J/kg 0% 9°C 86% 69% 100% 1.4mm 94% 0mm 31dBZ 24° 96% 4.1mm 18m/s 30m/s 4.1m/s
09:00
907hPa 0J/kg 0% 8.4°C 97% 93% 100% 1.1mm 91% 0mm 27dBZ 34° 98% 5.4mm - - 3.7m/s
10:00
906hPa 3J/kg 0% 7.8°C 86% 65% 100% 0.29mm 88% 0mm 24dBZ 43° 89% 5.8mm - - 3.3m/s
11:00
907hPa 0J/kg 0% 7.8°C 86% 90% 100% 0.24mm 88% 0mm 20dBZ 52° 100% 6.2mm 20m/s 29m/s 3.1m/s
12:00
906hPa 0J/kg 0% 6.9°C 39% 39% 99% 0.34mm 83% 0mm 19dBZ 59° 53% 0.19mm - - 2.5m/s
13:00
907hPa 8J/kg 0% 6.3°C 100% 99% 99% 0.8mm 84% 0.38mm 18dBZ 63° 100% 1.1mm - - 1.9m/s
14:00
907hPa 3J/kg 0% 6.2°C 83% 84% 98% 0.11mm 92% 0.04mm 17dBZ 61° 92% 1.6mm 17m/s 30m/s 1.5m/s
15:00
907hPa 6J/kg 90% 5.1°C 99% 100% 99% 0.56mm 85% 0.11mm 16dBZ 55° 100% 1.9mm - - 1.2m/s
16:00
908hPa 14J/kg 53% 4°C 100% 55% 99% 0.11mm 93% 0.15mm 14dBZ 47° 100% 2.4mm - - 1.1m/s
17:00
908hPa 6J/kg 0% 3.5°C 98% 4% 99% 0.01mm 94% 0.01mm 13dBZ 37° 98% 2.6mm 9.3m/s 12m/s 1.2m/s
18:00
908hPa 5J/kg 0% 3.4°C 49% 72% 97% 0mm 93% 0.08mm 16dBZ 27° 78% 0.06mm - - 1.3m/s
19:00
908hPa 11J/kg 0% 3.4°C 10% 30% 94% 0mm 86% 0.23mm 18dBZ 17° 32% 0.19mm - - 1.2m/s
20:00
908hPa 17J/kg 0% 4.3°C 33% 3% 92% 0mm 90% 0.31mm 21dBZ 7.9° 33% 0.38mm 3.5m/s 8.7m/s 0.31m/s
21:00
909hPa 10J/kg 0% 5.2°C 56% 27% 93% 0mm 96% 0.21mm 24dBZ -0.67° 56% 0.56mm - - 1.3m/s
22:00
909hPa 1J/kg 0% 6.1°C 17% 3% 95% 0mm 95% 0.03mm 27dBZ -8.6° 17% 0.69mm - - 1.5m/s
23:00
910hPa 2J/kg 0% 6.6°C 24% 1% 97% 0.01mm 95% 0.04mm 30dBZ -15° 24% 0.69mm 2.5m/s 8m/s 1.7m/s
Tue, May 26 Sunrise 05:22 Sunset 20:59
24:00
910hPa 2J/kg 0% 6.9°C 30% 4% 72% 0mm 94% 0.02mm 23dBZ -19° 30% 0.06mm - - 1.7m/s
01:00
910hPa 5J/kg 0% 6.7°C 48% 10% 47% 0mm 94% 0.04mm 17dBZ -21° 48% 0.13mm - - 1.9m/s
02:00
911hPa 12J/kg 0% 6.3°C 69% 22% 22% 0.03mm 94% 0.02mm 11dBZ -20° 69% 0.25mm 3.2m/s 4.2m/s 1.7m/s
03:00
911hPa 2J/kg 0% 6.4°C 99% 40% 42% 0.1mm 94% 0.01mm 0.97dBZ -17° 99% 0.31mm - - 1.3m/s
04:00
911hPa 9J/kg 0% 6.3°C 99% 0% 62% 0.03mm 95% 0.07mm -9.5dBZ -11° 99% 0.44mm - - 0.42m/s
05:00
912hPa 29J/kg 0% 6.4°C 96% 0% 82% 0mm 98% 0.06mm -20dBZ -3.8° 96% 0.5mm 7m/s 4.9m/s 0.87m/s
06:00
913hPa 17J/kg 0% 6.8°C 96% 0% 82% 0mm 98% 0.08mm -20dBZ 4.7° 96% 0.13mm - - 0.86m/s
07:00
913hPa 2J/kg 0% 7°C 90% 0% 82% 0mm 95% 0.01mm -20dBZ 14° 90% 0.19mm - - 0.53m/s
08:00
914hPa 13J/kg 0% 6.3°C 39% 0% 82% 0mm 88% 0.03mm -20dBZ 24° 39% 0.19mm 5.7m/s 5.6m/s 0.95m/s
09:00
914hPa 26J/kg 0% 5.6°C 56% 0% 82% 0mm 82% 0.15mm -11dBZ 34° 56% 0.31mm - - 2.1m/s
10:00
914hPa 17J/kg 0% 5.3°C 45% 0% 83% 0mm 73% 0.1mm -2.6dBZ 44° 45% 0.44mm - - 2.2m/s
11:00
914hPa 24J/kg 0% 5.2°C 49% 0% 83% 0mm 63% 0.11mm 5.9dBZ 52° 49% 0.5mm 2.8m/s 5.4m/s 2.5m/s
12:00
915hPa 16J/kg 0% 5°C 43% 1% 68% 0.003mm 68% 0.08mm 6.8dBZ 60° 43% 0.4mm - - 2.2m/s
13:00
915hPa 8J/kg 0% 4.8°C 36% 2% 54% 0.007mm 73% 0.04mm 7.8dBZ 63° 36% 0.29mm - - 1.9m/s
14:00
915hPa 0J/kg 0% 4.5°C 30% 3% 39% 0.01mm 77% 0.01mm 8.8dBZ 61° 30% 0.19mm 2.1m/s 4.7m/s 1.5m/s
15:00
915hPa 0.33J/kg 0% 6.3°C 40% 3% 45% 0.007mm 79% 0.007mm 5.7dBZ 55° 40% 0.19mm - - 1.5m/s
16:00
916hPa 0.67J/kg 0% 8.1°C 50% 3% 50% 0.003mm 81% 0.003mm 2.6dBZ 47° 50% 0.19mm - - 1.4m/s
17:00
916hPa 1J/kg 0% 9.9°C 60% 3% 56% 0mm 83% 0mm -0.44dBZ 37° 60% 0.19mm 3.6m/s 8.7m/s 1.3m/s
18:00
916hPa 0.67J/kg 0% 10°C 42% 2% 37% 0mm 83% 0mm -7dBZ 27° 42% 0.13mm - - 1.4m/s
19:00
916hPa 0.33J/kg 0% 10°C 23% 1% 19% 0mm 84% 0mm -13dBZ 17° 23% 0.06mm - - 1.6m/s
20:00
916hPa 0J/kg 1% 10°C 5% 0% 0% 0mm 85% 0mm -20dBZ 5% 0mm 8.1m/s 8.3m/s 1.7m/s
21:00
916hPa 0J/kg 34% 10°C 3% 0% 0% 0mm 84% 0mm -20dBZ -0.46° 36% 0mm - - 1.7m/s
22:00
916hPa 0J/kg 67% 10°C 2% 0% 0% 0mm 83% 0mm -20dBZ -8.5° 68% 0mm - - 1.6m/s
23:00
916hPa 0J/kg 100% 10°C 0% 0% 0% 0mm 82% 0mm -20dBZ -15° 100% 0mm 10m/s 15m/s 1.6m/s
Wed, May 27 Sunrise 05:21 Sunset 21:00
24:00
916hPa 0J/kg 67% 10°C 0% 0% 0% 0mm 76% 0mm -20dBZ -19° 67% 0mm - - 1.5m/s
01:00
916hPa 0J/kg 34% 10°C 0% 0% 0% 0mm 70% 0mm -20dBZ -21° 34% 0mm - - 1.4m/s
02:00
916hPa 0J/kg 1% 11°C 0% 0% 0% 0mm 65% 0mm -20dBZ -20° 1% 0mm 7.5m/s 5.5m/s 1.4m/s
03:00
916hPa 0J/kg 9% 10°C 0% 0% 0% 0mm 61% 0mm -20dBZ -16° 9% 0mm - - 1.9m/s
04:00
916hPa 0J/kg 17% 10°C 0% 0% 0% 0mm 58% 0mm -20dBZ -11° 17% 0mm - - 2.3m/s
05:00
916hPa 0J/kg 25% 9.9°C 1% 0% 0% 0mm 54% 0mm -20dBZ -3.6° 26% 0mm 4.9m/s 6.7m/s 2.8m/s
How to read: these inputs help produce the derived score; they are not requirements by themselves.

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