UV Index Resources

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download, to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more about PDF, and for a link to the free Acrobat Reader.

UV Index-related Tools Offered by the SunWise Program

UV Index Widget

EPA wants to promote sun-safe behaviors and reduce your exposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Making it easy to access the UV Index, a standardized scale of solar UV intensity, is a way to reach that goal. Being aware of UV intensity lets all of us take appropriate actions to avoid health risks.

We encourage you to help EPA promote UV awareness. Incorporate our UV Index widget into your website.

The UV Index widget allows you to insert in your web page a lookup function for the daily UV Index forecast. The widget provides the same lookup by ZIP Code that is available in the SunWise UV Index web page.

The UV Index forecast for the United States is issued each evening for the following day. It gives the predicted intensity of ultraviolet light at noon.

To add the UV Index widget to your website, copy the following HTML snippet and paste it into a web page:

How Can I Display UV Index Information on My Site?

The SunWise Program has developed an XML code that allows a Web developer versed in XML (Extensible Markup Language) to display UV Index and Alert forecasts on any Web site.  The information is searchable by ZIP Code and city, state, making it useful for any organization, either local or national. Users do not have to leave your site to see the forecast.

Visit http://iaspub.epa.gov/uvindexalert/services to see what services are offered. For the WSDL coding, visit http://iaspub.epa.gov/uvindexalert/services/UVIndexAlertPort?wsdl.

Problems? Contact us at sunwise@epa.gov.

What Does Email Have to Do with Skin Cancer Prevention?

Sign up to receive UV Alerts by e-mail.

More Information

In 2005, SunWise developed a system that sends subscribers an email containing the daily UV Index forecast for their city or ZIP Code called EnviroFlash UV. You can also subscribe to receive emails only on days when there is a UV Alert for your area. Emails go out in the early evening so you have plenty of time to prepare for your next day’s activities. If you planned on going on a picnic, and the UV Index is predicted to be a 10 for that Zip code, you’ll know that you will need to be extra careful to minimize sun damage to your skin and eyes. It’s also easy to subscribe and unsubscribe, so if you’ll be traveling for a few days, and you have access to your email, you can receive the local UV Index wherever you are, or you can just check the daily UV Index at our UV Index home page.

Background and Other Resources

What is the UV Index? (PDF, 2 pp., 1.4 MB) - EPA fact sheet for the public describing the UV Index and the UV Alert.

A Guide to the UV Index (PDF, 8 pp., 1.2 MB) - Brochure developed by EPA for meteorologists, educators and public health officials on recommendations for reporting the UV Index.

UV Safety: The Global Solar UV Index (PDF, 1 p., 109 KB) - Poster displaying the UV index scale and action steps.

The Global Solar UV Index (PDF, 18 pp., 429 KB) - Recommendations for UV Index reporting from the World Health Organization, World Meteorological Organization, the United National Environment Programme and the International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection, adopted by EPA and the National Weather Service in May, 2004.

National Weather Service UV Index information

World Health Organization UV Radiation Page

International UV Index Pages

INTERSUN - The global UV Project: A guide and compendium (PDF, 25 pp., 404 KB)

EPA's Ultraviolet Monitoring Program

American Meteorological Society Station Scientist Home