Know when the sky will light up.
Golden Hour forecasting Engine for your Mac.
No account · NO PURCHASES · macOS 26 or lateR
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Color happens when a low sun lights clouds from below. Embers follows the sun's direction to the horizon, checks for clouds and terrain in the way using three weather models, and scores what it finds. It also uses real-TIme photographs from nearby PUBLIC cameras to improve its prediction ACCURACY over TIME.
TEDIOUS Manual work Rolled into a local App
A score for every sunrise and sunset
Each one gets a score from 1 to 10, with the reasons in plain language and the best time to be there.
Suggests the best spot nearby
The Spot Board ranks all your saved places for the next sunrise and sunset.
Get notified when it's worth going
Watch checks your spots in the background and tells you when one scores 7 or better. You also get official weather warnings, including surf alerts on the coast.
See the clouds for yourself
Satellite loops and cloud forecast maps from NOAA are built in.
Rate what you saw
After each event, give it your own score. Embers keeps track of how its forecasts compare.
Built on public data
The weather models behind sunset forecasts are public: NOAA's HRRR, ECMWF and ICON. Embers uses them directly, does the calculation on your Mac, and shows its reasoning. There's no subscription and no account.
FREQUENTLY ASKED Questions
Is it really free?
Yes. There are no ads, accounts or in-app purchases. The weather data comes free from Open-Meteo.
Yes. There are no ads, accounts or in-app purchases. The weather data comes free from Open-Meteo.
HOW to Install EMBERS?
Today and tomorrow. Beyond about 48 hours, cloud forecasts are too uncertain to score.
1. [Download for Mac] macOS 26 or later · Apple silicon and Intel
2. Open the file and drag Embers into Applications.
3. The first time you open it, click Open Anyway in System Settings → Privacy & Security.
4. Search for a spot and press Predict.
How far ahead does it forecast? 2. Open the file and drag Embers into Applications.
3. The first time you open it, click Open Anyway in System Settings → Privacy & Security.
4. Search for a spot and press Predict.
Today and tomorrow. Beyond about 48 hours, cloud forecasts are too uncertain to score.
How accurate is it?
It's new and still being tested against real skies. The built-in Accuracy view tracks this as you rate events.
It's new and still being tested against real skies. The built-in Accuracy view tracks this as you rate events.
Does it work outside the US?
Yes, forecasts work anywhere. The high-resolution HRRR model and the official alerts cover only the US, and the satellite view covers the western US.
Yes, forecasts work anywhere. The high-resolution HRRR model and the official alerts cover only the US, and the satellite view covers the western US.
Does it account for mountains?
Yes. It checks terrain along the sun's path, out to about 600 km.
Yes. It checks terrain along the sun's path, out to about 600 km.
Can I compare it with other services?
If you use Sunsethue or SunsetWx, Embers can show their forecasts beside its own. They're never blended into Embers' score.
If you use Sunsethue or SunsetWx, Embers can show their forecasts beside its own. They're never blended into Embers' score.
What about privacy?
Your spots and ratings stay on your Mac. Embers only sends the location you're forecasting to public weather services and Apple Maps.
Your spots and ratings stay on your Mac. Embers only sends the location you're forecasting to public weather services and Apple Maps.
Is there an iPhone version?
Not yet. It's Mac only for now.
Not yet. It's Mac only for now.
Why does mac OS warn me when I open it?
Embers isn't distributed through the App Store. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway. You only need to do this once.
Embers isn't distributed through the App Store. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway. You only need to do this once.
Made by Tanmay Sapkal. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Satellite imagery: NOAA/NESDIS/STAR. Cloud maps: NOAA Global Systems Laboratory. Alerts: National Weather Service.
