howmuchsun

UV index and sunburn time in Coquitlam

UV peaks at 7.4 (high) in July, around 13:30 local time. At that intensity, untanned skin of type III burns in about 32 min.

How long before you burn?

Sunburn after 32 min unprotected, at peak UV in July
Peak UV index 7.4 High
With SPF 30 16 h if applied properly and reapplied

UV index month by month

Peak value on a representative day of each month, with burn time for skin type III.

MonthPeak UVCategoryPeak atBurns after
January 0.8 Low 12:30 307 min
February 1.6 Low 12:30 143 min
March 3.1 Moderate 13:30 76 min
April 5.0 Moderate 13:30 47 min
May 6.5 High 13:30 36 min
June 7.3 High 13:30 32 min
July 7.4 High 13:30 32 min
August 6.4 High 13:30 36 min
September 4.5 Moderate 13:30 52 min
October 2.4 Low 12:30 96 min
November 1.1 Low 12:30 222 min
December 0.6 Low 13:30 397 min

Burn time by skin type

At peak UV in July, with no sunscreen.

Fitzpatrick typeDescriptionBurns after
Type I Always burns, never tans 18 min
Type II Burns easily, tans minimally 23 min
Type III Burns moderately, tans gradually 32 min
Type IV Burns minimally, tans well 41 min
Type V Rarely burns, tans profusely 54 min
Type VI Never burns, deeply pigmented 90 min

UV through the day

UV index by month and hour in America/Vancouver local time, daylight saving included. Darker cells mean stronger UV.

UV index by month (rows) and local hour (columns). Each cell shows the rounded value; blank means zero.
Month456789101112131415161718192021
Jan 1 1 1
Feb 1 1 1 2 1 1
Mar 1 1 2 3 3 3 2 1
Apr 1 2 3 4 5 5 4 3 2 1
May 1 1 3 4 6 6 6 6 5 3 2 1
Jun 1 2 3 5 6 7 7 7 5 4 2 1
Jul 1 2 3 5 6 7 7 7 6 4 2 1
Aug 1 2 4 5 6 6 6 5 3 2 1
Sep 1 3 4 4 4 4 3 2 1
Oct 1 1 2 2 2 2 1
Nov 1 1 1 1
Dec 1 1

none strongest

Other cities in Canada

Assumptions

  • Clear sky. These are upper bounds. Cloud reduces UV, though less than people expect — you can burn on an overcast day.
  • No reflection. Snow roughly doubles your effective dose, and water and sand both add to it. None of that is modelled here.
  • Burn times are indicative. Published minimal erythemal doses vary by around 30% between studies, and individuals within a skin type vary more.
  • SPF assumes proper application. Most people apply a quarter of the amount used in testing, so real protection is far lower than the label.

Full methodology, sources and known limitations