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I live in the city, where houses, telephone wires, and golden arches obstruct the horizon and a large portion of the sky. Many a sunset has been spoiled by unsightly surroundings.
But in my opinion, watching the sun disappear below the treetops and explode all over the clouds is the best part of the day. And SunsetWx is a website that can give you a heads up ~7 hours before a fantastic sunset occurs, so you can prepare accordingly!
I’ll give you a quick review of SunsetWx!
What Is SunsetWx?
Link: SunsetWx
SunsetWx gives you a Doppler radar-esque map of the US, that indicates how eye-popping the sunset will be by the warmth of the colors.
There are actually 2 maps on the site: One for sunrise, and one for sunset. The sunrise map updates at 7:00 pm local time, and the sunset map updates at 1:00 pm local time.
You can pull up a map for Europe, too!
There is even a Worldwide View, which allegedly predicts great sunsets everywhere on the planet. I’m not totally sure I’d trust that one though, its predictions look too sweeping. Kind of like the weather segment on Al Jazeera (“Folks in Australia can expect some rain today!”). The current map shows 75% of China to have a spectacular sunset tonight. That could be accurate, what do I know?
Does It Actually Work?
In my experience, SunsetWx is very reliable at predicting good sunsets in the US. Nearly every time it has indicated a vivid sunset, it’s happened.
HOWEVER, the website misses plenty of good sunsets. Some evenings I’ll look out the window and see a breathtaking sky, and SunsetWx is assuring me that tonight’s sunset is a dud. But if it’s going to have inaccuracies, I definitely prefer that it under-promise.
When my region is bright red, I pretty well know I’m not going to be disappointed. And I have plenty of time to distance myself from the detracting buildings and car headlights and whatever else.
Bottom Line
Technically, SunsetWx DOES predict great sunsets. In my experience, if the map says there will be a good sunset, it’s correct. But it misses plenty of good ones, too! So keep looking up.
Tell me your experience with SunsetWx! And let me know if you have any tips for seizing the perfect sunset.
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