Sunset Forecast App — Will Tonight's Sunset Be Good?

Sunset forecasting in Forecast Bar, in short

What it answers: Whether tonight's sunset — or tomorrow's sunrise — is likely to be colourful, before you commit to driving somewhere for it.
The score: A 0–10 quality score for each event, with the specific reasons behind it shown as magnitude bars.
Also shown: Sunrise, sunset, first and last light, solar noon, total daylight, and the golden-light window.
Alerts: Beautiful Sunset alerts notify you ahead of time when the score clears the bar you set.
Where it works: Worldwide — scores are computed from your coordinates.
Plan: Sunset quality scores and Beautiful Sunset alerts are part of Forecast Bar Gold on iOS and Pro on Mac.

Forecast Bar sun detail screen showing a sun path arc, sunrise and sunset quality scores, total daylight, and data point tiles

A score, and the reasoning

A quality score you can actually argue with.

A number on its own is a guess you have to trust. Forecast Bar shows the 0–10 score on a sun-dial gauge and then breaks down what is driving it — which factors are helping tonight and which are working against it, sized by how much they matter.

A 0–10 score for both sunrise and sunset, every day
Reason bars showing what is helping and hurting the score
Odds for how the evening is likely to turn out
A full-screen sky tint that follows the score at a glance

Warm sunset light over an ocean shoreline

The window, not the minute

Golden light is a window. Forecast Bar shows the whole thing.

Sunset time is the least useful number for anyone actually shooting a sunset. Forecast Bar shows the arc: first light, solar noon, last light, total daylight for the day, and the golden-light window you'd want to be in position for.

First light and last light, not just sunrise and sunset
Solar noon and total daylight for the day
The golden-light window worth being in position for
Moonrise and moonset alongside, for night shooting

Forecast Bar alert settings on iPhone with sunset, aurora, eclipse, and supermoon notifications and adjustable thresholds

Told, not checked

Beautiful Sunset alerts, so you don't have to remember to look.

The good sunsets are the ones you didn't plan for. Turn on Beautiful Sunset alerts and Forecast Bar notifies you ahead of a high-scoring evening, with enough lead time to get somewhere with a view.

Set the score that earns a notification
Choose how long before the event you want warning
Sunrise alerts too, if you're the early kind
One-tap sharing of the forecast to talk someone into coming along

An honest note: a score is a forecast, not a promise.

Sunset quality depends on high cloud arriving at the right altitude at the right moment, and that is genuinely hard to predict more than a day out. A low score occasionally produces a spectacular sky, and a high score occasionally fizzles.

The score is useful the way a rain chance is useful: it tells you where to spend your attention. Over a season, following the high scores gets you to far more good sunsets than checking the window at random.

FAQ

Questions about the sunset forecast

Can Forecast Bar tell me if tonight's sunset will be good?

Yes. Forecast Bar scores sunset quality from 0 to 10 for your location and shows the reasons behind that score, so you can decide whether it's worth heading somewhere with a view. It scores sunrise the same way.

Does it forecast sunrise quality too, or only sunsets?

Both. Every day gets a sunrise score and a sunset score, and you can set alerts on either one independently.

What is the golden-light window?

It's the period around sunrise and sunset when the light is warm and low — the part photographers care about. Forecast Bar shows it alongside first light, last light, solar noon, and total daylight, rather than only giving you the sunset time.

Can I get notified before a good sunset instead of checking?

Yes. Beautiful Sunset alerts push a notification when the score for an upcoming sunrise or sunset clears a threshold you choose, with the lead time you set.

Does the sunset forecast work outside the United States?

Yes. Quality scores are computed from your coordinates and work worldwide.

How accurate is the sunset quality score?

It's a forecast, not a guarantee. Sunset colour depends on high cloud arriving at the right altitude at the right moment, which is hard to predict far ahead. Treat a high score the way you'd treat a high rain chance: a good reason to plan around it, not a certainty.

How much does Forecast Bar cost?

You get free 24-hour access to everything — no card, no account. After that there is an optional subscription with a 7-day trial, and current pricing is shown in the App Store. Mac and iOS plans are separate; Apple TV is included with Forecast Bar Gold on iOS. See Compare Plans for what each tier includes.

Catch the sunsets you'd otherwise miss.

Try quality scores and Beautiful Sunset alerts free for 24 hours.

Download on theApp Store Download on theMac App Store

Free 24-hour access, then optional subscription with 7-day trial. Mac and iOS plans are separate; Apple TV is included with Forecast Bar Gold on iOS.

Keep exploring

Will tonight's sunset be worth watching?

Sunset forecasting in Forecast Bar, in short

A quality score you can actually argue with.

Golden light is a window. Forecast Bar shows the whole thing.

Beautiful Sunset alerts, so you don't have to remember to look.

An honest note: a score is a forecast, not a promise.

Questions about the sunset forecast

Catch the sunsets you'd otherwise miss.

More from Forecast Bar

Aurora & northern lights alerts

Eclipse, supermoon & solstice alerts

iPhone weather widgets