UV Index Values provided Courtesy of Koninklijk
Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut (KNMI) and
The European Space Agency (ESA)
UV Index Values Exposure Categories
0 - 2 Minimal - Wearing a hat is sufficient protection.
3 - 4 Low - Wearing a hat and a sunscreen with,
at least, SPF 20 is recommended.
5 - 6 Moderate - Wearing a hat, a sunscreen with,
at least, SPF 20 and staying in the shade is recommended.
7 - 9 High - In addition to the precautions recommended
above, it is advised to stay indoors between 11
a.m. and 3 p.m.
10, 11+ Very High - In addition to the precautions
recommended above, it is advised to stay indoors
if possible.
Simple Precautions in the Sun:
Courtesy of INTERSUN, WHO's Global UV Project
and approved by the Department of Dermatology,
Sir Paul Boffa Hospital, Malta.
(a) The UV index is a measure of the harmful
Ultraviolet sunlight. It is not a measure of the
"visible" sunlight or for the warmth
of the Sun.
(b) The values given in our forecast are the
highest UV index, that is the value around 1 p.m.
(c) The UV index values are valid for clear sky
and broken cloud
conditions.
UV levels are highest under cloudless skies,
and cloud cover generally reduces a person's exposure.
However, light or thin clouds have little effect
and may even enhance UV levels because of scattering.
Don't be fooled by an overcast day or a cool breeze!
Even a long stay in open shade, for example between
buildings, may give a sensitive person a sunburn
on a day with high UV levels.
(d) Be careful not to underestimate the amount
of UV radiation passing through clouds
Simple precautions in the sun
The rise in the incidence of skin cancers over
the past decades is strongly related to increasingly
popular outdoor activities and recreational exposure.
Overexposure to sunlight is widely accepted as
the underlying cause for harmful effects on the
skin, eye and immune system. Experts believe that
four out of five cases of skin cancer could be
prevented, as UV damage is mostly avoidable.
Adopting the following simple precautions, can
make all the difference. Shade, clothing and hats
provide the best protection ? applying sunscreen
becomes necessary on those parts of the body that
remain exposed like the face and hands. Sunscreen
should never be used to prolong the duration of
sun exposure
Limit time in the midday sun
The sun's UV rays are the strongest between 11
a.m. and 3 p.m. To the extent possible, limit
exposure to the sun during these hours. PROTECT
BABIES AND YOUNG CHILDREN: THIS IS PARTICULARLY
IMPORTANT
Watch for the UV index
This important resource helps you plan your outdoor
activities in ways that prevent overexposure to
the sun's rays.
While you should always take precautions against
overexposure, take special care to adopt sun safety
practices when the UV Index predicts exposure
levels of 3 or above.
The UV Index can:
· Save your life
· Protect good health
· Help preserve youthful complexion
Use shade wisely
Seek shade when UV rays are the most intense,
but keep in mind that shade structures such as
trees, umbrellas or canopies do not offer complete
sun protection.
Wear protective clothing
A hat with a wide brim offers good sun protection
for your eyes, ears, face, and the back or your
neck.
Sunglasses that provide 99 to 100 percent UV-A
and UV-B protection will greatly reduce eye damage
from sun exposure.
Tightly woven, loose fitting clothes will provide
additional protection
from the sun.
Use sunscreen
Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 20+ liberally
and re-apply every two hours, or after working,
swimming, playing or exercising outdoors.
Small amounts of UV are beneficial for people
and essential in the
production of vitamin D.
UV radiation is also used to treat several diseases,
including rickets, psoriasis, eczema and jaundice.
This takes place under medical supervision and
the benefits of treatment tend to outweigh the
risks of UV radiation exposure.
Overexposure to solar radiation may result in
acute and chronic health effects on the skin,
eye and immune system.
Children are in a dynamic state of growth, and
are therefore more
susceptible to environmental threats than adults.
Many vital functions such as the immune system
are not fully developed at birth, and unsafe environments
may interfere with their normal development.
Many believe that only fair-skinned people need
to be concerned about overexposure to the sun.
Darker skin has more protective melanin pigment,
and the incidence of skin cancer is lower in dark-skinned
people. Nevertheless skin cancers do occur with
this group and unfortunately they are often detected
at a later, more dangerous stage.
The risk of UV-related health effects on the
eye and immune system is independent of skin type. |
Winters
are mild with only rare occurrences of cold weather
brought by north and northeast winds from central
Europe. In fact, daytime winter temperatures almost
never fall below 10ºC (50ºF), while night-time
winter temperatures never fall below 0ºC (32ºF).
Hence, snow never falls in Malta. Sometimes it
gets rather windy for up to 3 days with strong
gale force winds blowing either from the northwest
(Malta's most common wind) or from the northeast
bringing days of miserable stormy weather. Most
of Malta's rainfall falls during autumn and winter,
mostly from thunderstorms which make up most of
the rainfall from September to December. It is
usually mild in Malta during the winter, with
plenty of sunshine, too, with daytime temperatures
usually 15ºC (59ºF) or above and sometimes also
around 20ºC (68ºF).
Summers
are warm, dry and very sunny. The weather usually
shows signs of warming up in April, heralding
in a long spell of hot, dry weather. It rarely
rains from April to August. July and August are
Malta's hottest months with daytime temperatures
usually above 30ºC (86ºF) and quite often also
above 35ºC (95ºF). The highest ever was in August
1999 when the temperature once went up to 44ºC
(111ºF) in the shade at Luqa Airport. However,
since humidity is rather high in Malta (due to
the fact that Malta is an island) summer temperatures
can feel quite irritating, thereby making it quite
often unbearable to stay out in the sun. This
is especially so in August and September, when
a high humidity can make it quite unbearable at
night. However, daytime temperatures in summer
are usually mitigated by cooling sea breezes,
especially along the coast, but in spring and
autumn a very hot and dry wind from Africa occasionally
brings unpleasantly high temperatures. This wind
is called the sirocco, which also affects Italy
and Greece, but in Malta it is usually rather
drier because of the short sea track from the
African coast.
