Anchorage, Alaska UV Index
Anchorage UV index today — burn time, EPA scale, and sun-protection guidance
Anchorage, AK · UV Index right now
Sunburn risk Minimal
UV 0LowObserved 2:39 AM AKDT
A UV index of 0 sits in the EPA Low band: sunburn risk is minimal for most people, and no sun protection is needed for the average person outdoors.
Peak UV today: 11:48 AM–3:48 PM
Estimated from today’s sunrise and sunset: UV is strongest in the two hours either side of solar noon (1:48 PM local time).
EPA UV Index scale
Current reading: UV 0 — Low.
Sun protection right now
- SPF & cover-up
- No protection needed for most people. You can safely stay outside.
- Reapply
- Reapply every two hours and after swimming or heavy sweating.
- Safe exposure
- At UV below 3 there is no meaningful burn risk for most people. You can be outside without sunscreen, though sunglasses still protect your eyes.
EPA / WHO sun-safety guidance; type III skin baseline. Current band: Low.
Burn time by skin type
How fast unprotected skin can begin to redden depends on the UV index and your Fitzpatrick skin type. Below UV 3 (Low), burn risk is minimal for most people.
See the full minutes-to-burn table for every UV level and all six skin types in the sunburn-time guide.
UV through the year in Anchorage
This far north the sun sits low for much of the year, so UV in Anchorage is concentrated in the high-summer months and peaks in June, when the estimated clear-sky peak UV index reaches about 7 around solar noon. At that peak the noon sun reaches about 52° above the horizon. Each month below pairs the noon sun elevation with the estimated peak UV and how fast unprotected skin can begin to redden.
| Month | Noon sunelevation | Peak UVclear-sky est. | Type Imin to burn | Type IIImin to burn | Type VImin to burn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 8° | 0 | — | — | — |
| February | 16° | 1 | — | — | — |
| March | 27° | 2 | — | — | — |
| April | 39° | 4 | 33 | 50 | 167 |
| May | 48° | 6 | 22 | 33 | 111 |
| June | 52° | 7 | 19 | 29 | 95 |
| July | 50° | 7 | 19 | 29 | 95 |
| August | 43° | 5 | 27 | 40 | 133 |
| September | 32° | 3 | 44 | 67 | 222 |
| October | 20° | 1 | — | — | — |
| November | 10° | 0 | — | — | — |
| December | 6° | 0 | — | — | — |
Clear-sky estimate from sun angle and elevation — day-to-day clouds and ozone shift the real index up or down. Burn times are first-redness approximations for unprotected skin, not a safe-exposure budget.
Frequently asked
- When is UV strongest in Anchorage?
- Around June, when Anchorage's estimated clear-sky UV index peaks near 7 at solar noon. It is weakest around December, near 0. These are clear-sky estimates from the sun's angle and the city's elevation; clouds and ozone move the daily reading.
- How fast can you get sunburned in Anchorage?
- At the June clear-sky peak (UV 7), unprotected fair-to-medium skin (Fitzpatrick type III) can begin to burn in about 29 minutes, and the most sun-sensitive skin (type I) in about 19. In December (UV 0), midday UV stays below 3, where burn risk is minimal for most people.
UV & sun-safety guides
See how the UV Index works — including why clouds are no shield — plus evergreen guides to burn time, vitamin D, skin-cancer risk, and when UV is strongest, collected on the UV Index hub.