Goldcast
Sunset & Sunrise Forecasts for Photographers

Find out if upcoming golden hour light is worth chasing.

Select your location


How GoldCast Scores the Sky ↓

GoldCast scores the sunset, helping you see if the sunset will be good near you. It pulls real-time weather data to analyze six atmospheric variables. Each is weighted by how much it empirically affects the visual quality of a sunrise or sunset. The final score is 0–100.

How to Predict an Incredible Sunset →

High Cloud Cover
Cirrus clouds at altitude catch and scatter warm light. Ideal: 20–80%. Too little = featureless sky. Too much = total block.
Low Cloud at Horizon
A bank of low cloud near the horizon blocks the sun at the exact moment it produces the warmest light.
Humidity
Low humidity means cleaner air and more saturated colors. High humidity washes out tones. Above 85% is penalised heavily.
Precipitation & Wind
Active rainfall kills color. Post-storm air is clean with residual cloud texture at altitude — often the most dramatic light of the year.
75–100 — Epic Light. Rare. Multiple factors aligned.
55–74 — Great Conditions. Strong showing expected. Go if you can.
35–54 — Worth Shooting. Modest but workable.
0–34 — Flat Light. Uninspiring sky expected.

Forecasts rely on Open-Meteo weather model data and are inherently probabilistic. Forecasts refresh hourly. Goldcast is a planning tool, not a guarantee.

What the Metrics Mean ↓

The Science Behind Golden Hour Light →

Total Cloud Cover
The overall percentage of sky covered by cloud at any altitude. High total cover usually means no light reaches the horizon, but there are exceptions that happen by chance.
High Cloud (Cirrus)
Thin, wispy clouds at 6,000–12,000m. These are the canvas for golden hour color — they catch and scatter warm light across the sky. The sweet spot is 20–75%.
Humidity
Moisture in the lower atmosphere scatters and diffuses light, washing out color saturation. Low humidity (under 50%) produces vivid, punchy tones. High humidity above 80% creates a milky haze — still atmospheric, but muted.
Visibility
Horizontal visibility in km, reflecting the density of aerosols, dust, and particulates at ground level. Poor visibility (under 10km) softens distant subjects and reduces contrast — usually a penalty for dramatic skies.
Horizon Color Spread
An estimate of how many degrees above the horizon the color will reach, derived from high cloud coverage. A thin strip means color stays low and brief. A wide spread means the whole sky lights up.
Cloud Base Height
Estimated altitude of the lowest cloud layer, calculated from the dew point spread (lower spread = lower base). A very low cloud base (under 300m) usually means the horizon is blocked. Mid and high bases often produce the dramatic underlit cloud formations that define great sunsets.
Dew Point Spread
The °C gap between air temperature and dew point. When this narrows below 2°C, moisture condenses on cold lens elements — your front element fogs mid-shoot. This matters most at dawn when temperatures drop. A dew heater or lens warmer eliminates the risk entirely.


Email Alerts

Get notified when the light is worth chasing.

Enter your location, minimum score, and email — we'll send an alert 2 hours before a good sunset, or the night before a great sunrise.

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How Goldcast Scores the Sky ↓

What makes a good sunset? Six atmospheric variables: cloud cover, humidity, visibility, wind, precipitation, and the position of clouds at the horizon. Goldcast pulls live weather model data, weights each factor by how much it actually affects the light, and returns a single score from 0 to 100 — so you know whether tonight's sunset is worth chasing before you leave the house.

How to Predict an Incredible Sunset →

High Cloud Cover
Cirrus clouds at altitude catch and scatter warm light. Ideal: 20–80%. Too little = featureless sky. Too much = total block.
Low Cloud at Horizon
A bank of low cloud near the horizon blocks the sun at the exact moment it produces the warmest light.
Humidity
Low humidity means cleaner air and more saturated colors. High humidity washes out tones. Above 85% is penalised heavily.
Precipitation & Wind
Active rainfall kills color. Post-storm air is clean with residual cloud texture at altitude — often the most dramatic light of the year.
75–100 — Epic Light. Rare. Multiple factors aligned.
55–74 — Great Conditions. Strong showing expected. Go if you can.
35–54 — Worth Shooting. Modest but workable.
0–34 — Flat Light. Uninspiring sky expected.

Forecasts rely on Open-Meteo weather model data and are inherently probabilistic. Forecasts refresh hourly. Goldcast is a planning tool, not a guarantee.

What the Metrics Mean ↓

The Science Behind Golden Hour Light →

Total Cloud Cover
The overall percentage of sky covered by cloud at any altitude. High total cover usually means no light reaches the horizon, but there are exceptions that happen by chance.
High Cloud (Cirrus)
Thin, wispy clouds at 6,000–12,000m. These are the canvas for golden hour color — they catch and scatter warm light across the sky. The sweet spot is 20–75%.
Humidity
Moisture in the lower atmosphere scatters and diffuses light, washing out color saturation. Low humidity (under 50%) produces vivid, punchy tones. High humidity above 80% creates a milky haze — still atmospheric, but muted.
Visibility
Horizontal visibility in km, reflecting the density of aerosols, dust, and particulates at ground level. Poor visibility (under 10km) softens distant subjects and reduces contrast — usually a penalty for dramatic skies.
Horizon Color Spread
An estimate of how many degrees above the horizon the color will reach, derived from high cloud coverage. A thin strip means color stays low and brief. A wide spread means the whole sky lights up.
Cloud Base Height
Estimated altitude of the lowest cloud layer, calculated from the dew point spread (lower spread = lower base). A very low cloud base (under 300m) usually means the horizon is blocked. Mid and high bases often produce the dramatic underlit cloud formations that define great sunsets.
Dew Point Spread
The °C gap between air temperature and dew point. When this narrows below 2°C, moisture condenses on cold lens elements — your front element fogs mid-shoot. This matters most at dawn when temperatures drop. A dew heater or lens warmer eliminates the risk entirely.