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Photo locations · Seattle · United States

Kerry Park Seattle Skyline: sunrise photography forecast

Kerry Park is the compact Seattle skyline view: Space Needle in front, downtown behind and Mount Rainier appearing on exceptionally clear days. The frame becomes much more interesting during the change from sunset to city light.

Will today's sunrise be worth it?

Simplified forecast from the open model run. The full forecast — a second model, your exact viewpoint, the hourly cloud timeline — is in the app.

Global model, about 13 km: less certain than in Europe.

Cloud along the light path toward the sun will block most direct light.

in 4h 3m

Blocked grey lid

Wet, broken light · moody rain shots; bright gaps if the sky opens

Little usable cloud structure, or the viewpoint sits inside a uniform lid.

High confidence · event-time scene

Sky colors

Golden hour
Sunrise

Light corridor

Viewer's line of sight, tangent to the Earth at your locationNear-ground relative humidity20% cover — too thin to draw as cloud16% cover — too thin to draw as cloud16% cover — too thin to draw as cloud13% cover — too thin to draw as cloud11% cover — too thin to draw as cloud16% cover — too thin to draw as cloud14% cover — too thin to draw as cloud17% cover — too thin to draw as cloudConnected cloud layer · 23–42% cover · 10–25% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 0–100% cover · 10–45% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 12–100% cover · 10–65% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 0–100% cover · 10–45% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 12–100% cover · 10–65% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 0–100% cover · 10–45% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 12–100% cover · 10–65% visual uncertaintyConnected cloud layer · 0–100% cover · 10–45% visual uncertaintylow cloud · 60% reported, 35% resolved on a pressure surface — 25% is somewhere between 0 and 3 km50 km · the model says the lowest depicted cloud underside may catch red light50 km · the model says the lowest depicted cloud underside may catch red light100 km · the model says the lowest depicted cloud underside may catch red light100 km · the model says the lowest depicted cloud underside may catch orange light

-5 km

Behind you

8/8L 60 · M 91 · H 10084%—

Your location

100 m asl

8/8L 95 · M 96 · H 10086%—

5 km

Nearby

8/8L 68 · M 92 · H 10082%—

20 km

Near horizon

8/8L 68 · M 92 · H 10082%—

50 km

Light path

8/8L 100 · M 100 · H 4585%—

100 km

Light path

8/8L 74 · M 8 · H 10078%—

150 km

Far light path

8/8L 23 · M 0 · H 10057%—

200 km

Far light path

8/8L 0 · M 0 · H 10046%—

300 km

Far light path

8/8L 0 · M 0 · H 10047%—

350 km

Far light path

6/8L 0 · M 0 · H 7843%—
cloud-cover fieldinterpolation uncertaintysun directionnear-ground humiditycloud at unresolved heightmodelled underlightunderlight · height uncertainunderlight · lit on one readinglit but hidden behind nearer cloud

Terrain is drawn for illustration only — it is not used to calculate underlight or obstruction.

Clouds: Cloud canvas mostly unlit

Very thick mid/high cover (100%) — colour likely only at cloud edges.

Low cloud deck overhead (73%) hides the coloured undersides.

Most clouds above you sit in shadow — their undersides are unlikely to catch colour.

Cloud cover is nearly solid and uniform across the near scene — a flat lid rather than separated layers.

Cloud is distributed across low, middle and high levels, creating strong vertical depth.

Rain is likely nearby (0.8 mm) — expect wet, grey light, though a showery sky can still open up at the horizon.

Broken low cloud (78%) — expect the light to come and go.

A thick mid-level deck (94%) dims the low sun — light will be weak and flat.

Light corridor is blocked

Cloud at the light ray's height along the far path (100%) will block most direct light.

The low sun comes down through a high cloud sheet toward the sun (100% at 124–261 km) — expect pale, weak golden light.

Sun likely hidden. Thick low cloud toward the horizon (100%) will likely block the sun.

Clarity: Good

Forecast refreshed a few hours before sunrise.

Know the light
before it happens

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For photographers: shooting Kerry Park Seattle Skyline

Best months

May to September for the best odds of a clear mountain and late light; winter brings earlier blue hour and more changeable skies.

Suggested focal lengths

50–100 mm for the standard skyline; 100–200 mm to make Rainier more prominent.

Composition

A longer lens cleans up the foreground and stacks the Space Needle, skyline and mountain. Expose a second frame at blue hour before the sky goes black.

Recommended arrival

Arrive 45–60 minutes before sunset, earlier on clear summer weekends, and stay 25 minutes after.

Access planning

The viewpoint is a small public park in a residential area. Keep paths and neighbours’ driveways clear; tripods have limited room.

Parking: Street parking only, subject to posted restrictions; rideshare or public transport is easier at busy times.

Approach: The viewpoint is beside West Highland Drive, with a short paved walk from the street.

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