howmuchsun

UV index and sunburn time in Homs

UV peaks at 11.3 (extreme) in July, around 12:30 local time. At that intensity, untanned skin of type III burns in about 21 min.

How long before you burn?

Sunburn after 21 min unprotected, at peak UV in July
Peak UV index 11.3 Extreme
With SPF 30 10 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 3.1 Moderate 12:30 75 min
February 4.7 Moderate 12:30 50 min
March 6.8 High 12:30 34 min
April 9.1 Very high 12:30 26 min
May 10.5 Very high 12:30 22 min
June 11.2 Extreme 12:30 21 min
July 11.3 Extreme 12:30 21 min
August 10.7 Very high 12:30 22 min
September 8.8 Very high 12:30 26 min
October 6.2 High 12:30 38 min
November 3.8 Moderate 12:30 61 min
December 2.8 Low 12:30 83 min

Burn time by skin type

At peak UV in July, with no sunscreen.

Fitzpatrick typeDescriptionBurns after
Type I Always burns, never tans 12 min
Type II Burns easily, tans minimally 15 min
Type III Burns moderately, tans gradually 21 min
Type IV Burns minimally, tans well 27 min
Type V Rarely burns, tans profusely 35 min
Type VI Never burns, deeply pigmented 59 min

UV through the day

UV index by month and hour in Asia/Damascus 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 2 3 3 3 2 1
Feb 1 3 4 5 4 3 2 1
Mar 1 3 4 6 7 6 5 3 1
Apr 1 2 4 7 8 9 8 7 4 2 1
May 1 3 5 8 10 10 10 8 5 3 1
Jun 1 3 6 8 10 11 11 9 6 4 2
Jul 1 3 6 8 10 11 11 9 6 4 2
Aug 1 3 5 8 10 11 10 8 6 3 1
Sep 2 4 6 8 9 8 6 4 2
Oct 1 3 5 6 6 5 4 2 1
Nov 1 3 4 4 3 2 1
Dec 1 2 3 3 2 2 1

none strongest

Other cities in Syria

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