Banner Elk - Golden Hour - Smoky Mountains & Blue Ridge
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 predicts when golden hour light will combine with the Smokies' legendary fall foliage and mountain ridgelines to create peak photography conditions. We track sun angle, foliage peak timing, and atmospheric clarity to identify when warm light will set the Appalachian landscape ablaze.
The Great Smoky Mountains contain more tree species than all of Europe, creating fall color displays of unmatched variety. The elevation range—from 875 to 6,643 feet—means peak color arrives at different times, extending the season from mid-September through early November. Add golden hour light to peak foliage on layered ridgelines, and you have compositions that define autumn photography.
What makes Smoky Mountains golden hour exceptional:
- Layered ridgelines - Multiple mountain ranges stack into the distance, each catching golden light differently
- Fall foliage variety - Over 100 tree species create tapestries of color from red to orange to yellow
- Blue Ridge Parkway overlooks - Dozens of viewpoints designed specifically for mountain vista photography
- Elevation-based timing - Peak foliage moves down the mountain, offering six-week shooting window
Best photography occurs during the mid-October peak, when color is at maximum saturation. Morning golden hour catches east-facing ridges, while evening illuminates west-facing slopes. Popular locations include Newfound Gap, Morton Overlook on Newfound Gap Road, and countless Blue Ridge Parkway overlooks. Weather can change rapidly; our forecast helps identify clear days for optimal light.
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72-hour requirements breakdown
What passed or failed, hour by hourTime America/New_York | Golden Hour Any | Golden Hour Potential ≥ 80.0% | Precipitation Chance ≤ 5.0% | Visibility ≥ 1000.0m |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Feb 21 | ||||
| 14:00 | ✕ | 16% | 13% | 24135m |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 18% | 26% | 24134m |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 19% | 39% | 24135m |
| 17:00 | ✓ | 72% | 42% | 24135m |
| 18:00 | ✓ | 66% | 46% | 24135m |
| 19:00 | ✕ | 30% | 49% | 24135m |
| 20:00 | ✕ | 10% | 58% | 24135m |
| 21:00 | ✕ | 9% | 60% | 24134m |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 9% | 62% | 24135m |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 8.4% | 74% | 24134m |
| Sun, Feb 22 | ||||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 8.2% | 87% | 24135m |
| 01:00 | ✕ | 7.4% | 99% | 23540m |
| 02:00 | ✕ | 7.4% | 96% | 23752m |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 7.8% | 94% | 10481m |
| 04:00 | ✕ | 6.6% | 91% | 2149m |
| 05:00 | ✕ | 4.8% | 93% | 309m |
| 06:00 | ✓ | 29% | 95% | 177m |
| 07:00 | ✓ | 29% | 98% | 249m |
| 08:00 | ✕ | 5.2% | 98% | 163m |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 5.3% | 96% | 664m |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 5.5% | 93% | 743m |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 6.5% | 95% | 1107m |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 6.7% | 98% | 1469m |
| 13:00 | ✕ | 7.6% | 100% | 2743m |
| 14:00 | ✕ | 6.4% | 99% | 2069m |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 7.4% | 99% | 1353m |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 4.6% | 99% | 544m |
| 17:00 | ✓ | 25% | 99% | 206m |
| 18:00 | ✓ | 23% | 100% | 160m |
| 19:00 | ✕ | 12% | 100% | 177m |
| 20:00 | ✕ | 3.4% | 100% | 234m |
| 21:00 | ✕ | 3.4% | 100% | 232m |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 3.4% | 100% | 328m |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 3.4% | 100% | 245m |
| Mon, Feb 23 | ||||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 3.8% | 100% | 177m |
| 01:00 | ✕ | 4.2% | 100% | 178m |
| 02:00 | ✕ | 4.4% | 100% | 178m |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 4.4% | 100% | 152m |
| 04:00 | ✕ | 3.8% | 99% | 162m |
| 05:00 | ✕ | 3.8% | 99% | 173m |
| 06:00 | ✓ | 23% | 100% | 191m |
| 07:00 | ✓ | 20% | 100% | 212m |
| 08:00 | ✕ | 3.4% | 95% | 225m |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 3.8% | 89% | 251m |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 4% | 84% | 295m |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 4.2% | 88% | 603m |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 5.8% | 93% | 2029m |
| 13:00 | ✕ | 6.3% | 98% | 3030m |
| 14:00 | ✕ | 6.7% | 98% | 3871m |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 5.9% | 98% | 1965m |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 4.4% | 98% | 513m |
| 17:00 | ✓ | 23% | 98% | 260m |
| 18:00 | ✓ | 26% | 99% | 201m |
| 19:00 | ✕ | 14% | 100% | 224m |
| 20:00 | ✕ | 3.8% | 80% | 230m |
| 21:00 | ✕ | 3.8% | 59% | 379m |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 4.4% | 39% | 510m |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 4.4% | 53% | 393m |
| Tue, Feb 24 | ||||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 4.4% | 68% | 372m |
| 01:00 | ✕ | 4.8% | 82% | 519m |
| 02:00 | ✕ | 4.8% | 55% | 458m |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 5.2% | 27% | 749m |
| 04:00 | ✕ | 6.6% | 0% | 2457m |
| 05:00 | ✕ | 7.6% | 0% | 2288m |
| 06:00 | ✓ | 35% | 0% | 1288m |
| 07:00 | ✓ | 35% | 0% | 1241m |
| 08:00 | ✕ | 5% | 0% | 2921m |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 8.9% | 0% | 13979m |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 10% | 0% | 24135m |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 10% | 0% | 24134m |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 9.6% | 0% | 24135m |
| 13:00 | ✕ | 9.6% | 0% | 24135m |
| 14:00 | ✕ | 15% | 0% | 24134m |
| 15:00 | ✕ | 11% | 0% | 24134m |
| 16:00 | ✕ | 11% | 0% | 24134m |
| 17:00 | ✓ | 71% | 0% | 24134m |
| 18:00 | ✓ | 94% | 0% | 24134m |
| 19:00 | ✕ | 49% | 0% | 24135m |
| 20:00 | ✕ | 17% | 0% | 24135m |
| 21:00 | ✕ | 13% | 0% | 24135m |
| 22:00 | ✕ | 10% | 0% | 24135m |
| 23:00 | ✕ | 9.9% | 0% | 24135m |
| Wed, Feb 25 | ||||
| 24:00 | ✕ | 9.6% | 0% | 24135m |
| 01:00 | ✕ | 9.2% | 0% | 24135m |
| 02:00 | ✕ | 10% | 0% | 24135m |
| 03:00 | ✕ | 12% | 0% | 24135m |
| 04:00 | ✕ | 14% | 0% | 24135m |
| 05:00 | ✕ | 12% | 0% | 24135m |
| 06:00 | ✓ | 55% | 0% | 24135m |
| 07:00 | ✓ | 49% | 0% | 24135m |
| 08:00 | ✕ | 8.4% | 0% | 24135m |
| 09:00 | ✕ | 8.3% | 0% | 24135m |
| 10:00 | ✕ | 8.2% | 0% | 24135m |
| 11:00 | ✕ | 8.2% | 7.4% | 19483m |
| 12:00 | ✕ | 7.2% | 15% | 14832m |
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 America/New_York | Golden Hour | High Clouds % | Low Clouds % | Mid-Level Clouds % | Relative Humidity % | Total Cloud Coverage % | Wind Speed m/s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Feb 22
Sunrise 07:06
Sunset 18:15 | |||||||
| 14:00 | - | 0% | 82% | 1% | 77% | 82% | 8m/s |
| 15:00 | - | 0% | 74% | 4% | 79% | 74% | 8.1m/s |
| 16:00 | - | 0% | 84% | 1% | 84% | 84% | 7.6m/s |
| 17:00 | - | 0% | 98% | 1% | 89% | 98% | 7m/s |
| 18:00 | - | 0% | 98% | 1% | 92% | 98% | 7.2m/s |
| 19:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 96% | 0% | 92% | 96% | 8.1m/s |
| 20:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 93% | 0% | 91% | 93% | 9.2m/s |
| 21:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 89% | 0% | 92% | 89% | 9.8m/s |
| 22:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 94% | 0% | 90% | 94% | 9.7m/s |
| 23:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 98% | 0% | 92% | 98% | 8.7m/s |
| Mon, Feb 23
Sunrise 07:05
Sunset 18:16 | |||||||
| 24:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 0% | 93% | 100% | 7.3m/s |
| 01:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 0% | 90% | 100% | 7m/s |
| 02:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 0% | 90% | 100% | 6.8m/s |
| 03:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 99% | 0% | 93% | 99% | 6.7m/s |
| 04:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 99% | 0% | 92% | 99% | 6.9m/s |
| 05:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 99% | 0% | 92% | 99% | 7.2m/s |
| 06:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 98% | 0% | 92% | 98% | 8m/s |
| 07:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 97% | 0% | 92% | 97% | 8.3m/s |
| 08:00 | - | 0% | 96% | 0% | 91% | 96% | 8.5m/s |
| 09:00 | - | 0% | 96% | 0% | 90% | 96% | 8.9m/s |
| 10:00 | - | 0% | 96% | 0% | 87% | 96% | 9m/s |
| 11:00 | - | 0% | 97% | 0% | 84% | 97% | 8.8m/s |
| 12:00 | - | 0% | 87% | 0% | 80% | 87% | 8.7m/s |
| 13:00 | - | 0% | 96% | 0% | 78% | 96% | 8.4m/s |
| 14:00 | - | 0% | 97% | 0% | 78% | 97% | 8.2m/s |
| 15:00 | - | 0% | 97% | 0% | 81% | 97% | 8m/s |
| 16:00 | - | 0% | 100% | 0% | 86% | 100% | 7.5m/s |
| 17:00 | - | 0% | 98% | 0% | 90% | 98% | 7.2m/s |
| 18:00 | - | 0% | 98% | 0% | 93% | 98% | 6.9m/s |
| 19:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 98% | 0% | 93% | 98% | 6.8m/s |
| 20:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 99% | 0% | 94% | 99% | 7m/s |
| 21:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 93% | 0% | 93% | 93% | 7m/s |
| 22:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 83% | 0% | 94% | 83% | 6.5m/s |
| 23:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 98% | 0% | 94% | 98% | 6m/s |
| Tue, Feb 24
Sunrise 07:04
Sunset 18:17 | |||||||
| 24:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 99% | 0% | 94% | 99% | 5.9m/s |
| 01:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 99% | 0% | 94% | 99% | 5.4m/s |
| 02:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 100% | 0% | 95% | 100% | 4.7m/s |
| 03:00 ☾ | - | 0% | 97% | 0% | 96% | 97% | 4.1m/s |
| 04:00 ☾ | - | 5% | 92% | 0% | 97% | 92% | 3m/s |
| 05:00 ☾ | - | 30% | 76% | 0% | 98% | 78% | 2.9m/s |
| 06:00 ☾ | - | 32% | 94% | 5% | 98% | 95% | 2.5m/s |
| 07:00 ☾ | - | 64% | 93% | 2% | 98% | 96% | 2.6m/s |
| 08:00 | - | 100% | 82% | 5% | 94% | 100% | 2.4m/s |
| 09:00 | - | 100% | 57% | 14% | 85% | 100% | 2.5m/s |
| 10:00 | - | 100% | 39% | 37% | 77% | 100% | 2.5m/s |
| 11:00 | - | 100% | 4% | 29% | 69% | 100% | 2.2m/s |
| 12:00 | - | 100% | 4% | 100% | 64% | 100% | 2.2m/s |
| 13:00 | - | 100% | 4% | 100% | 64% | 100% | 2.1m/s |
| 14:00 | - | 5% | 5% | 55% | 64% | 55% | 2.1m/s |
| 15:00 | - | 98% | 6% | 72% | 64% | 98% | 2.4m/s |
| 16:00 | - | 19% | 5% | 100% | 65% | 100% | 1.8m/s |
| 17:00 | - | 0% | 5% | 88% | 71% | 88% | 1.4m/s |
| 18:00 | - | 0% | 5% | 5% | 91% | 5% | 0.76m/s |
| 19:00 ☾ | - | 3% | 5% | 4% | 94% | 5% | 0.39m/s |
| 20:00 ☾ | - | 35% | 7% | 8% | 87% | 37% | 0.97m/s |
| 21:00 ☾ | - | 68% | 9% | 12% | 80% | 68% | 1.5m/s |
| 22:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 12% | 17% | 72% | 100% | 2.1m/s |
| 23:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 20% | 12% | 78% | 100% | 2.3m/s |
| Wed, Feb 25
Sunrise 07:03
Sunset 18:18 | |||||||
| 24:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 29% | 8% | 84% | 100% | 2.5m/s |
| 01:00 ☾ | - | 100% | 38% | 3% | 90% | 100% | 2.6m/s |
| 02:00 ☾ | - | 73% | 42% | 4% | 84% | 85% | 3.2m/s |
| 03:00 ☾ | - | 45% | 46% | 4% | 79% | 70% | 3.8m/s |
| 04:00 ☾ | - | 18% | 50% | 4% | 74% | 54% | 4.4m/s |
| 05:00 ☾ | - | 43% | 64% | 4% | 75% | 69% | 4.5m/s |
| 06:00 ☾ | - | 68% | 78% | 3% | 76% | 84% | 4.5m/s |
| 07:00 ☾ | - | 92% | 92% | 2% | 78% | 99% | 4.6m/s |
| 08:00 | - | 94% | 89% | 3% | 79% | 99% | 4m/s |
| 09:00 | - | 95% | 87% | 4% | 81% | 98% | 3.4m/s |
| 10:00 | - | 96% | 84% | 6% | 83% | 98% | 2.8m/s |
| 11:00 | - | 96% | 72% | 35% | 87% | 97% | 2.5m/s |
| 12:00 | - | 95% | 60% | 65% | 92% | 96% | 2.1m/s |
| 13:00 | - | 95% | 48% | 95% | 97% | 95% | 1.7m/s |
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