Bowcast

Rainbow forecast for Papeete

Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia: today's strongest rainbow forecast, the best interval to look up, and the week ahead.

17.55°S 149.56°W · about 40 ensemble members · 12 km radius

Today's peak · estimated chance

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Checking about 40 forecast ensemble members for sunlit rain near Papeete…

Open the live map for Papeete

Rainbow weather in Papeete

Papeete sits in a trade-wind belt, where small, well-spaced showers can move through with sunshine between them. That changeable pattern often supplies the sunlit rain a rainbow requires. Mornings and late afternoons, when the sun hangs low, are useful times to watch.

At 17.6° south, Papeete's midday sun often climbs above the geometry for a visible primary bow. Early morning and late afternoon are the most dependable viewing windows through much of the year.

Wherever you are, the geometry is the same: a primary rainbow forms opposite the sun while the sun is less than about 42 degrees above the horizon. Bowcast's research-informed heuristics give extra weight to clearing showers. The gauge above applies them to ensemble forecasts to predict the rainbow chance for the 12 km around Papeete.

The rainbow window through the year

in the window sun above 42° below the horizon
At 17.55 degrees south the sun passes 42 degrees in every month of the year, so the window is a morning and evening band throughout. Jan closes for 7 hours around solar noon.
Share of daylight inside the window
Spring
49%
Summer
46%
Autumn
51%
Winter
67%

Rainbow questions, answered

When do rainbows appear in Papeete?
Rainbows need sunlit rain with the sun lower than about 42 degrees, so in Papeete useful windows often occur after sunrise or before sunset on showery days. A study in ZhaoSu, China found that about nine in ten observed rainbows occurred during the hour after rainfall. Bowcast uses that regional finding as research guidance, not a universal rate.
Where should I look for a rainbow in Papeete?
Always directly opposite the sun: put the sun at your back and look toward the retreating rain. In the evening that means looking east; in the morning, west.
What is today's rainbow forecast in Papeete?
Bowcast checks sunlit-rain ingredients around Papeete, hour by hour, for the next 7 days. When ensemble guidance is available, it shows an Estimated chance from about 40 model members, not a probability calibrated against observed rainbow frequencies. When ensemble guidance is unavailable, it shows a Conditions score /100 instead. This page shows the strongest actionable interval; the Now board shows the interval containing the current time.
Can you predict a rainbow in Papeete?
Not with certainty, but you can forecast the odds. Bowcast works as a rainbow predictor for Papeete: it reads about 40 ensemble weather members for sunlit rain, checks that the sun sits lower than 42 degrees, and works out which way to face. Read it as an informed estimate of the chance, not a promise that a bow will appear.

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