UV index and sunburn time in Longyearbyen
UV peaks at 2.1 (low) in June, around 12:30 local time. At that intensity, untanned skin of type III burns in about 111 min.
How long before you burn?
Sunburn after
111 min
unprotected, at peak UV in June
Peak UV index
2.1
Low
With SPF 30
55 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.
| Month | Peak UV | Category | Peak at | Burns after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0.0 | Low | 00:30 | no burn risk |
| February | 0.0 | Low | 00:30 | no burn risk |
| March | 0.1 | Low | 12:30 | 2143 min |
| April | 0.7 | Low | 12:30 | 334 min |
| May | 1.5 | Low | 12:30 | 151 min |
| June | 2.1 | Low | 12:30 | 111 min |
| July | 2.0 | Low | 13:30 | 118 min |
| August | 1.2 | Low | 13:30 | 195 min |
| September | 0.3 | Low | 12:30 | 676 min |
| October | 0.0 | Low | 12:30 | 26188 min |
| November | 0.0 | Low | 00:30 | no burn risk |
| December | 0.0 | Low | 00:30 | no burn risk |
Burn time by skin type
At peak UV in June, with no sunscreen.
| Fitzpatrick type | Description | Burns after |
|---|---|---|
| Type I | Always burns, never tans | 63 min |
| Type II | Burns easily, tans minimally | 79 min |
| Type III | Burns moderately, tans gradually | 111 min |
| Type IV | Burns minimally, tans well | 142 min |
| Type V | Rarely burns, tans profusely | 190 min |
| Type VI | Never burns, deeply pigmented | 316 min |
UV through the day
UV index by month and hour in Arctic/Longyearbyen local time, daylight saving included. Darker cells mean stronger UV.
| Month | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | ||||||||||||||||||
| Feb | ||||||||||||||||||
| Mar | ||||||||||||||||||
| Apr | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| May | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Jun | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Jul | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Aug | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Sep | ||||||||||||||||||
| Oct | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nov | ||||||||||||||||||
| Dec |
none strongest
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.