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Your UV index recordings in the UK & everything else UV related


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Posted
  • Location: St.Albans, Hertfordshire
  • Location: St.Albans, Hertfordshire

I realised we talk a lot about the weather generally, on here and across the UK but one thing that is rarely mentioned is the UV index so my first question is; Do you guys know whether we have ever recorded a UV index of 9 here in the UK? 

I see many places as far north as Nottingham will be hitting 8 next week provided there are clear skies and many times I've known the UV to hit 8 in London, most years we get atleast 7-10 days I'd say but surely somewhere on the south coast will have hit 9 on a few accasions.

I also regularly check www.temis.nl which gives a clear sky UV index forecast which over many years I've come to realise is generally is out by 1UV. They are forecasting 7.5 in London next week which if I'm right would mean 8.5 and surely the south coast could hit 9 by that reasoning? Any thoughts or facts would be interesting to hear. Thankyou :)

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Edited by ARW WeatherMan
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Posted
  • Location: Redlynch, Wiltshire / 110m asl
  • Weather Preferences: Cold snowy winters, warm springs, hot summers, warm then stormy autumn
  • Location: Redlynch, Wiltshire / 110m asl

I haven't seen an 8 in a while, usually 7 max. I don't know if we've ever reached 9 here!

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Posted
  • Location: Dorset
  • Weather Preferences: warehamwx.co.uk
  • Location: Dorset

According to the Met Office, UV does not exceed 8 in the UK, and 7 may occur on exceptional days.

Edited by Mapantz
typo
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Posted
  • Location: Solihull, West Midlands. - 131 m asl
  • Weather Preferences: Sun, Snow and Storms
  • Location: Solihull, West Midlands. - 131 m asl
1 minute ago, Mapantz said:

According to the Met Office, UV does not exceed 8 in the UK, and 7 is may occur on exceptional days.

This week is our best chance reaching the 9 figure as the sun is 'highest' of the year.

MIA

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Posted
  • Location: Dorset
  • Weather Preferences: warehamwx.co.uk
  • Location: Dorset
3 minutes ago, Midlands Ice Age said:

This week is our best chance reaching the 9 figure as the sun is 'highest' of the year.

MIA

True. At the moment, it's looking a cloud-fest here, next week. Both the Met Office and Temis have me down for an index of 7.

The other factor is ozone amounts.

Edited by Mapantz
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Posted
  • Location: St.Albans, Hertfordshire
  • Location: St.Albans, Hertfordshire

I have spent a lot of time over the years trying to find reliable UK recorded UV data but it is very few and far between 

I'm sure if it was recorded daily across all stations like temperatures are then a UV of 9 would have been recorded somewhere along the south

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Posted
  • Location: St.Albans, Hertfordshire
  • Location: St.Albans, Hertfordshire
6 minutes ago, Mokidugway said:

Have experienced 12 in high Himalayan adventures ,your lips go purple

The highest ever recorded was 43.3 in Bolivia on an active volcano. Can't imagine how quickly you would burn in them conditions

https://www.livescience.com/46701-andes-highest-uv-index-measured.html

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Posted
  • Location: Cleeve, North Somerset
  • Weather Preferences: Continental winters & summers.
  • Location: Cleeve, North Somerset

I don't know how reliable it is, but the UV reader on a fairly local Davis VP2 station returns a few 9 readings every year, and plenty of 8s. The 9 readings are always when the weather comes from between S and W with continental airmasses having slightly lower readings.

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Posted
  • Location: St.Albans, Hertfordshire
  • Location: St.Albans, Hertfordshire
34 minutes ago, MP-R said:

I don't know how reliable it is, but the UV reader on a fairly local Davis VP2 station returns a few 9 readings every year, and plenty of 8s. The 9 readings are always when the weather comes from between S and W with continental airmasses having slightly lower readings.

Interesting! Must be due to cleaner air from the Atlantic 

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Posted
  • Location: East Devon
  • Location: East Devon

I recall a few April's ago (possibly 2015?) there were higher than usual UV readings for the time of year with 6's and 7's recorded. The Met Office released something about this even though their forecasts were just giving 4's and 5's still.

The higher UV was shown on
 www.temis.nl due to a 'plume' of lower ozone concentration from the SW. I had noticed the site seemed to show more variation in clear-sky UV due to ozone variability, however the Met Office forecasts looked more as if they just use the normal UV for the time of year and expected cloudiness. Can't say if that really was the case though, and they could have improved now.

Given that I'd have thought 9 could have been recorded before but don't know how I'd find out. A nearby Davis stations with a UV sensor show 7.8 as the highest this year (accuracy unknown).


 

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Posted
  • Location: St.Albans, Hertfordshire
  • Location: St.Albans, Hertfordshire
7 hours ago, Evening thunder said:

I recall a few April's ago (possibly 2015?) there were higher than usual UV readings for the time of year with 6's and 7's recorded. The Met Office released something about this even though their forecasts were just giving 4's and 5's still.

The higher UV was shown on
 www.temis.nl due to a 'plume' of lower ozone concentration from the SW. I had noticed the site seemed to show more variation in clear-sky UV due to ozone variability, however the Met Office forecasts looked more as if they just use the normal UV for the time of year and expected cloudiness. Can't say if that really was the case though, and they could have improved now.

Given that I'd have thought 9 could have been recorded before but don't know how I'd find out. A nearby Davis stations with a UV sensor show 7.8 as the highest this year (accuracy unknown).


 

Yes remember it well because I got very burnt! 

Screenshot_20180617-180154.png

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18 hours ago, ARW WeatherMan said:

The highest ever recorded was 43.3 in Bolivia on an active volcano. Can't imagine how quickly you would burn in them conditions

https://www.livescience.com/46701-andes-highest-uv-index-measured.html

As quick as 3 minutes! 

http://m.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=UV+Index+43+sunburn

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Posted
  • Location: Cleeve, North Somerset
  • Weather Preferences: Continental winters & summers.
  • Location: Cleeve, North Somerset

And the aforementioned local station to me got to 8.3 today.

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Posted
  • Location: St.Albans, Hertfordshire
  • Location: St.Albans, Hertfordshire
13 hours ago, MP-R said:

And the aforementioned local station to me got to 8.3 today.

Being around the summer solstice and sunny most of next week I shall be keeping a close eye on the reading over the next week or so! Fingers crossed somewhere reaches 9!

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Posted
  • Location: Medlock Valley, Oldham, 103 metres/337 feet ASL
  • Weather Preferences: Cold, snow, thunderstorms, warm summers not too hot.
  • Location: Medlock Valley, Oldham, 103 metres/337 feet ASL

Met Office going for a UV of 8 up here in Oldham on Friday and next week. That's a pretty strong sun!

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https://www.wunderground.com

shows a lot of amateur weather stations, some of which have built-in UV measurements.

https://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=IOLDHAMC2#history/s20180614/e20180621/mweek (Oldham)

Admittedly some of these reading should be taken with a pinch of salt, but if local stations tend to agree with each other, then they might not be that far off the mark. 

Edited by J10
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Posted
  • Location: St.Albans, Hertfordshire
  • Location: St.Albans, Hertfordshire
18 hours ago, J10 said:

https://www.wunderground.com

shows a lot of amateur weather stations, some of which have built-in UV measurements.

https://www.wunderground.com/personal-weather-station/dashboard?ID=IOLDHAMC2#history/s20180614/e20180621/mweek (Oldham)

Admittedly some of these reading should be taken with a pinch of salt, but if local stations tend to agree with each other, then they might not be that far off the mark. 

Just looked and Oldham is current 6.9! Still got an hour till it reaches its peak

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Posted
  • Location: Cleeve, North Somerset
  • Weather Preferences: Continental winters & summers.
  • Location: Cleeve, North Somerset

Currently just above 7 here. Sun certainly feels strong.

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Posted
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.
  • Weather Preferences: Thunder, snow, heat, sunshine...
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.

Judging from how blue the sky is (I have no access to any real measurements) I can't imagine UV levels being much higher than they are today...Anyone lying on beaches - especially if they [the beaches] are made of white sand - need take special care?

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Posted
  • Location: St.Albans, Hertfordshire
  • Location: St.Albans, Hertfordshire
1 hour ago, Ed Stone said:

Judging from how blue the sky is (I have no access to any real measurements) I can't imagine UV levels being much higher than they are today...Anyone lying on beaches - especially if they [the beaches] are made of white sand - need take special care?

Yes definately! A UV index of 8 in your back garden on grass will be a UV index of 8 

If you're on the beach with the sea and sand then up to 30% of that UV will be reflected back off the ground/water so you'll be looking at 9/10 regardless of what the meter is reading.

 

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