Honolulu, Hawaii UV Index
Honolulu UV index today — burn time, EPA scale, and sun-protection guidance
Honolulu, HI · UV Index right now
Fair-to-medium skin (type III) burns in ~50 min
UV 4ModerateObserved 10:12 AM HST
A UV index of 4 means unprotected skin can begin to burn in roughly 33 minutes for the most sun-sensitive skin (Fitzpatrick type I) and about 50 minutes for fair-to-medium skin (type III).
Peak UV today: 10:15 AM–2:15 PM
Estimated from today’s sunrise and sunset: UV is strongest in the two hours either side of solar noon (12:15 PM local time).
EPA UV Index scale
Current reading: UV 4 — Moderate.
Sun protection right now
- SPF & cover-up
- Wear SPF 30+ broad-spectrum sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses; seek shade near midday.
- Reapply
- Reapply every two hours and after swimming or heavy sweating.
- Safe exposure
- Unprotected fair-to-medium (Fitzpatrick III) skin can begin to burn in about 50 minutes at this UV level. Sunscreen, shade, and cover-up extend that window.
EPA / WHO sun-safety guidance; type III skin baseline. Current band: Moderate.
Burn time by skin type
The current UV index is 4 (Moderate) — unprotected skin can begin to redden fastest for the fairest (Fitzpatrick type I) skin and slowest for the darkest (type VI).
See the full minutes-to-burn table for every UV level and all six skin types in the sunburn-time guide.
Sun protection for today's UV
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UV through the year in Honolulu
Near the tropics the sun rides high all year, so UV in Honolulu stays strong across most months and tops out in July, when the estimated clear-sky peak UV index reaches about 13 around solar noon. At that peak the noon sun reaches about 90° 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 | 48° | 6 | 22 | 33 | 111 |
| February | 56° | 8 | 17 | 25 | 83 |
| March | 67° | 10 | 13 | 20 | 67 |
| April | 79° | 12 | 11 | 17 | 56 |
| May | 88° | 13 | 10 | 15 | 51 |
| June | 88° | 13 | 10 | 15 | 51 |
| July | 90° | 13 | 10 | 15 | 51 |
| August | 83° | 12 | 11 | 17 | 56 |
| September | 72° | 11 | 12 | 18 | 61 |
| October | 60° | 9 | 15 | 22 | 74 |
| November | 50° | 7 | 19 | 29 | 95 |
| December | 45° | 6 | 22 | 33 | 111 |
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 Honolulu?
- Around July, when Honolulu's estimated clear-sky UV index peaks near 13 at solar noon. It is weakest around December, near 6. 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 Honolulu?
- At the July clear-sky peak (UV 13), unprotected fair-to-medium skin (Fitzpatrick type III) can begin to burn in about 15 minutes, and the most sun-sensitive skin (type I) in about 10. In December (UV 6), type III skin takes about 33 minutes to begin burning and type I about 22.
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.