Air and sun

UV Index Lookup

Enter a place name to see its published UV index, with time and source. Index only — no skin-type times, no personal advice.

Published 6 November 2026 · Last reviewed 7 November 2026 · Next review 7 May 2027

UV Index Lookup — flat illustration. — Illustration: Public Health (original)

Find the published UV index for a place

LowModerateHighVery HighExtreme

This tool gives an index only — no skin-type times and no personal advice.

About this tool

Open-Meteo is the forecast feed for this lookup. The WHO, the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme define the Global Solar UV Index scale, and the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) publishes a global UV forecast conforming to the WHO definition.

The Global Solar UV Index is a single-number scale, from 0 to 11 and above, that describes how strong the sun’s ultraviolet radiation is at a place and time. It was developed jointly by the World Health Organization, the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme, and its bands — Low (0–2), Moderate (3–5), High (6–7), Very High (8–10) and Extreme (11+) — each carry a protection message: shade, a shirt, sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses, with extra care at the top of the scale. This lookup reports the published index for a place, its band and the WHO protection message for that band, and nothing more: it does not give skin-type exposure times and it does not advise any individual. The forecast comes from the Open-Meteo feed, and the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) publishes a global UV forecast conforming to the WHO definition. The index changes through the day and with cloud, season and altitude, so a morning reading is not the day’s reading — check the published time shown with the result.

Sources

Awareness only

General information. It is not medical advice and does not assess your own situation.

What the UV index number means

WHO Global Solar UV Index	Band	Official protection message (WHO/WMO/UNEP)
0–2	Low	Wear sunglasses on bright days; if you burn easily, cover up and use broad-spectrum sunscreen.
3–5	Moderate	Seek shade during midday hours; wear a shirt, sunscreen and a hat.
6–7	High	Seek shade during midday hours; wear a shirt, sunscreen and a hat, and wear sunglasses.
8–10	Very High	Seek shade during midday hours; wear a shirt, sunscreen and a hat, and wear sunglasses; take extra care — unprotected skin can burn quickly.
11+	Extreme	Take all precautions — seek shade, wear a shirt, sunscreen and a hat, and wear sunglasses; avoid being outside during midday hours.