Gray over here.
Golden over there.
Chase the sun in San Francisco.
A beach day, a park picnic, or just a brighter walk.
Your next sunny spot
Your best outdoor options, first.
How Uppies reads the weather
Where the numbers come from
Uppies asks Open-Meteo for the current and hourly forecast at the coordinates of each destination. The model supplies temperature, wind speed, cloud cover, precipitation, and day or night. Its forecast grid can give nearby spots the same values. Wind on a sheltered patio or exposed stretch of beach can differ from the forecast.
How the satellite sky check works
In Live mode, Uppies checks the NOAA GOES-West cloud mask. The satellite classifies the pixel containing each spot as clear, probably clear, probably cloudy, or cloudy. Uppies also looks at the surrounding pixels. A mix of clear and cloudy pixels earns the label “Cloud edge nearby,” where conditions can vary over a short distance.
A sky check needs a good-quality reading at the spot from a scan no more than 20 minutes old. When an earlier scan is available, Uppies compares the two for labels like “Clearer than earlier.” The time beside NOAA is the scan time. The weather time is the time the model estimate applies to.
How Uppies ranks spots
Uppies combines a sunshine score, how close the temperature is to a comfortable target, and how light the wind is. Clearer skies score higher, and a nearby cloud edge reduces the sunshine score. When the sky check is unavailable, the score uses forecast cloud cover instead. Rain and darkness get zero points for sunshine. Walk puts more emphasis on comfortable temperatures, while Leisure puts more emphasis on lighter wind. Eat & Drink shows spots with a nearby food or drink idea that fits the outing, including picnic takeout. It uses the usual weather ranking.
What the forecast can tell you
“Sky forecast” uses the weather model when a satellite check is unavailable or when the card shows rain or nighttime. “Next 3 hours” also uses the hourly model. The best estimated hour is the highest-ranked daylight hour among those with no forecast precipitation and at most 50% cloud cover. That’s an estimate of the best time to go. The satellite sees clouds from above, so it can’t confirm fog at ground level, shade under trees, or when the sky will clear.