The sun is the source of life on the planet. Its rays provide the necessary light and warmth. At the same time, ultraviolet radiation from the Sun is destructive to all living things. To find a compromise between useful and harmful properties Sun, meteorologists calculate the ultraviolet radiation index, which characterizes the degree of its danger.

What kind of UV radiation from the sun is there?

Ultraviolet radiation from the Sun has a wide range and is divided into three regions, two of which reach the Earth.

• UVA. Long-wave radiation range
  315–400 nm

  The rays pass almost freely through all atmospheric “barriers” and reach the Earth.

• UV-B. Medium wave range radiation
  280–315 nm

  The rays are 90% absorbed by the ozone layer, carbon dioxide and water vapor.

• UV-C. Shortwave range radiation
  100–280 nm

  The most dangerous area. They are completely absorbed by stratospheric ozone without reaching the Earth.

The more ozone, clouds and aerosols in the atmosphere, the less the harmful effects of the Sun. However, these life-saving factors have a high natural variability. The annual maximum of stratospheric ozone occurs in spring, and the minimum in autumn. Cloudiness is one of the most variable characteristics of weather. The carbon dioxide content also changes all the time.

At what UV index values ​​is there a danger?

The UV index provides an estimate of the amount of UV radiation from the Sun at the Earth's surface. UV index values ​​range from a safe 0 to an extreme 11+.

• 0–2 Low
• 3–5 Moderate
• 6–7 High
• 8–10 Very high
• 11+ Extreme

In mid-latitudes, the UV index approaches unsafe values ​​(6–7) only at the maximum height of the Sun above the horizon (occurs in late June - early July). At the equator, the UV index reaches 9...11+ points throughout the year.

What are the benefits of the sun?

In small doses, UV radiation from the Sun is simply necessary. The sun's rays synthesize melanin, serotonin, and vitamin D, which are necessary for our health, and prevent rickets.

Melanin creates a kind of protective barrier for skin cells from the harmful effects of the Sun. Because of it, our skin darkens and becomes more elastic.

The hormone of happiness serotonin affects our well-being: it improves mood and increases overall vitality.

Vitamin D strengthens the immune system, stabilizes blood pressure and performs anti-rickets functions.

Why is the sun dangerous?

When sunbathing, it is important to understand that the line between the beneficial and harmful Sun is very thin. Excessive tanning always borders on a burn. Ultraviolet radiation damages DNA in skin cells.

The body's defense system cannot cope with such aggressive influence. It lowers immunity, damages the retina, causes skin aging and can lead to cancer.

Ultraviolet light destroys the DNA chain

How the Sun affects people

Sensitivity to UV radiation depends on skin type. People of the European race are the most sensitive to the Sun - for them, protection is required already at index 3, and 6 is considered dangerous.

At the same time, for Indonesians and African Americans this threshold is 6 and 8, respectively.

Who is most influenced by the Sun?

People with fair hair
skin tone

People with many moles

Residents of mid-latitudes during a holiday in the south

Winter lovers
fishing

Skiers and climbers

People having family history skin cancer

In what weather is the sun more dangerous?

It is a common misconception that the sun is dangerous only in hot and clear weather. You can also get sunburned in cool, cloudy weather.

Cloudiness, no matter how dense it may be, does not reduce the amount of ultraviolet radiation to zero. In mid-latitudes, cloudiness significantly reduces the risk of getting sunburned, which cannot be said about traditional places beach holiday. For example, in the tropics, if in sunny weather you can get sunburned in 30 minutes, then in cloudy weather - in a couple of hours.

How to protect yourself from the sun

To protect yourself from harmful rays, follow simple rules:

Spend less time in the sun during midday hours

Wear light-colored clothing, including wide-brimmed hats

Use protective creams

Wear sunglasses

Stay in the shade more on the beach

Which sunscreen to choose

Sunscreens vary in their degree of sun protection and are labeled from 2 to 50+. The numbers indicate the proportion of solar radiation that overcomes the protection of the cream and reaches the skin.

For example, when applying a cream labeled 15, only 1/15 (or 7 %) of the ultraviolet rays will penetrate the protective film. In the case of cream 50, only 1/50, or 2 %, affects the skin.

Sunscreen creates a reflective layer on the body. However, it is important to understand that no cream can reflect 100% of ultraviolet radiation.

For everyday use, when the time spent under the Sun does not exceed half an hour, a cream with protection 15 is quite suitable. For tanning on the beach, it is better to take 30 or higher. However, for fair-skinned people it is recommended to use a cream labeled 50+.

How to Apply Sunscreen

The cream should be applied evenly to all exposed skin, including the face, ears and neck. If you plan to sunbathe for a long time, then the cream should be applied twice: 30 minutes before going out and, additionally, before going to the beach.

Please check the cream instructions for the required volume for application.

How to Apply Sunscreen When Swimming

Sunscreen should be applied every time after swimming. Water washes away the protective film and, by reflecting the sun's rays, increases the dose of ultraviolet radiation received. Thus, when swimming, the risk of sunburn increases. However, due to the cooling effect, you may not feel the burn.

Excessive sweating and wiping with a towel are also reasons to re-protect the skin.

It should be remembered that on the beach, even under an umbrella, the shade does not provide complete protection. Sand, water and even grass reflect up to 20% of ultraviolet rays, increasing their impact on the skin.

How to protect your eyes

Sunlight reflected from water, snow or sand can cause painful burns to the retina. To protect your eyes, wear sunglasses with a UV filter.

Danger for skiers and climbers

In the mountains, the atmospheric “filter” is thinner. For every 100 meters of height, the UV index increases by 5 %.

Snow reflects up to 85 % of ultraviolet rays. In addition, up to 80 % of the ultraviolet reflected by the snow cover is reflected again by clouds.

Thus, in the mountains the Sun is most dangerous. It is necessary to protect your face, lower chin and ears even in cloudy weather.

How to deal with sunburn if you get sunburned

Use a damp sponge to moisten the burn.

Apply anti-burn cream to the burned areas

If your temperature rises, consult your doctor; you may be advised to take an antipyretic

If the burn is severe (the skin swells and blisters greatly), seek medical attention

Let's talk about the most important thing for cyclists - the weather forecast. It’s clear that for real cycling fanatics, no weather is an obstacle to the PVD, but still, I want to ride at least without rain.

Many weather sites use the same forecast models; in the best case, particularly important regions and cities are processed by a weather forecaster. The result is not always pleasing.

Therefore, I propose to discuss who uses which weather service. Initially, I, like most Internet users, looked at the weather on gismeteo.ru, but it seems to me that its services are relevant only for a period of one day, then fantasy comes.

I looked for other options, but everything was the same - low accuracy of the forecast for the next five days, and the trends for two weeks are completely out of the question.

Then, from someone I accidentally learned about the Norwegian weather site yr.no, and that’s it - nothing else is needed. I’ve already got a bunch of friends hooked on him, only positive reviews.

This service is a government-funded project of the Norwegian Institute of Meteorology, launched in 2007.

In my opinion, it contains the most accurate long-term forecast. What I also like is that the Norwegians do not exaggerate the temperature values. Almost all forecast sites are guilty of this - they write, for example, that it will be +25, but in fact, at best, it reaches 21.

yr.no always writes accurately - the air temperature in the shade, and this really helps not to overestimate the weather on a ride or bike trip; you take a windbreaker and don’t regret it.

What’s also pleasing is the accuracy of their model in the regions, which again is a problem with many online forecasting services. yr.no shows very clearly even in the wilderness, that is, in fully automatic mode. I was here on Lake Peipus for a couple of weeks, so I tracked weather changes with an accuracy of two to three hours.

Long-term forecasts should be taken with a grain of salt, but the trends are clearly visible, even after ten days. Now here in Tallinn the Norwegians are forecasting rain starting on Monday, we’ll see. 🙂

In addition to the Norwegian site, I sometimes also use windguru, although this service is intended for those who care about the wind. For us cyclists, the wind is also not the least important thing, and changes in direction and strength are monitored very clearly.

What weather services do you use? Do you believe the forecast and make plans in accordance with them?

Friends, let's not get lost on the Internet! I suggest you receive notifications by email when my new articles are published, that way you will always know that I have written something new, please.

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In addition to the usual weather data that is posted on such resources, this site regularly posts a biometeorological forecast that warns hypertensive patients and heart patients about possible threats to their health. Skiers will benefit from a section that informs about the weather on the mountain slopes, which reflects not only temperature fluctuations and wind strength, but also provides warnings about possible convergence snow avalanches. The authors of the portal also paid attention to sea weather.

http://www.foreca.ru/Russia/Moskva

Like all other search engines, Yandex could not ignore the weather forecast service, posting on its pages data on air temperature, humidity levels, sunset and sunrise times. The resource is as convenient and informative as possible. You can choose a brief or detailed form of displaying weather data, set the hourly forecast mode and even install an informer icon on your computer. The “Weather on the map” option allows you to display the necessary information in graphical form.

http://pogoda.yandex.ua/donetsk/?ncrnd=920

The web resource contains data prepared by the European weather station Met Office for 500 thousand cities and villages in Russia, as well as foreign countries. Anyone can get acquainted with information about the weather situation for the next 5-6 days. Data updates occur every three hours. For the convenience of users, the portal contains services for selecting a language and changing units of measurement, so you can find out the air and water temperature in Celsius and Fahrenheit, and the wind speed in meters and miles.

http://rp5.ru/

Should I take an umbrella with me or not? Should I wear a warm hat or do without it? Everyone knows this dilemma. In order to solve it, go to a resource that will warn you about changing weather conditions. Here you can get complete information about the weather in your locality, as well as in cities of near and far abroad countries. Category " Folk signs"will tell you what signs our ancestors used to predict weather changes, and weather maps will allow you to look at the world through the eyes of weather forecasters.

http://www.hmn.ru/

The creators of this web resource chose an unusual blog format, authored by a robot. It talks about the weather situation in 12 thousand cities around the world, introduces agricultural forecasts, informs about weather conditions on the roads and flight delays. The resource's services allow you to install its informer on your home PC or smartphone. And the “Maps” section stores operational information about atmospheric fronts and precipitation. In addition to the weather, you will find political and economic news here.

http://www.meteonova.ua/

One of the most famous weather portals. On the site pages, the user can obtain information about weather conditions in their city in real time. The very forecasting of the weather situation in countries near and far abroad is carried out using high-precision equipment, and therefore, according to the authors of the resource, the weather data posted here is accurate and correct. The news column will introduce you not only to natural disasters, but also to show business news.

http://www.meteoprog.ua/

Here you can find weather forecasts for cities in Ukraine and around the world. Weather maps posted on the portal give an idea of ​​the movement of atmospheric fronts, the likelihood of precipitation and temperature fluctuations in the selected region. The information presented on the site is available in both Russian and Ukrainian. In the settings, you can select a locality, and if you have your own website, use simple manipulations to install an informer link to this resource.

http://weather.co.ua/

A popular resource containing information about weather in any corner of the world. In addition to the one-day forecast, the authors of the portal provide weather data for 7 and 10 days. Thanks to the presence of an archive of forecasts, users can find out what the weather situation was in their region a month or a year ago. The “Road Weather” service will warn you about difficult weather conditions on the highways, and the “People’s Calendar” will introduce you to the signs by which our ancestors determined what to expect from Mother Nature in the near future.

http://sinoptik.ua/

This resource is one of the most popular weather sites. What makes it so is the regularly (every three hours) updated weather forecast, the availability of mobile applications for iOS, Android, Windows Mobile and maps of thunderstorm fronts and precipitation. Navigation is simple and accessible: just select the country and city, the desired period (from 1 day to 1 month) and get information about weather conditions. Here you can read fascinating publications, as well as news about climate change in the world.

http://www.gismeteo.ua/

How is this site convenient? Firstly, on its pages you can find information about weather conditions almost anywhere globe, including Antarctica. Secondly, it will warn you of approaching storms and geomagnetic storms, possible floods and heavy rains. Thirdly, here you can get acquainted with the weather conditions at the resorts, regardless of whether they are in your country or on the other side of the planet. A service that informs about the weather on the roads will be useful for drivers.

http://www.meteo.com.ua/

You can find out about weather conditions in your locality and other cities using the Mail.ru portal. Created as an email program, over time it acquired additional services, one of which was a meteorological resource. Since it is not an independent site specializing in synoptic information, the data posted on it is as accessible as possible to the average person. Here you will find information about air temperature, precipitation, wind direction and strength, humidity and day length.

https://pogoda.mail.ru/prognoz/kiev/

An online resource offering fifteen-day weather forecasts. So, if you want to get accurate information about the meteorological situation in the cities of Russia and other countries of the world, welcome to this portal. It will also help you determine the weather best resorts planets: in Nice and Marmaris, Dubai and Bali, Cyprus and Tenerife. Here you will find information on air and sea temperatures in domestic health resorts of Sevastopol and Sochi, Evpatoria and Alushta, Feodosia and Novorossiysk.

http://www.nepogoda.ru/

Are you going on a trip? Don't know whether to take warm clothes with you or not? This problem was insoluble for our grandparents, but today it is not difficult to find out about weather conditions on the other side of the globe. The site that we bring to your attention will introduce you to the short-term and long-term forecast in your locality and any other city in the world. According to the creators of the resource, they use several forecast models, and therefore their predictions are the most accurate.

http://www.meteostar.ru/

Find out about the weather first-hand - on the web resource of the Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Monitoring environment. On the Internet portal you can read useful tips and news about natural phenomena in the country and the world, look at children's drawings depicting the seasons, learn about the air temperature in resort areas and hometown. We bring to your attention images taken from satellites, maps of water temperature in the seas and oceans and hydrological data on rivers.

http://meteoinfo.ru/

A simple weather informer with a convenient and accessible navigation system that makes it easy for even children to navigate the site. Take the opportunity to obtain information from reliable sources regarding the weather situation in the country and around the world. IN this moment The resource provides weather information in 2,447 cities and one hundred and seven countries around the world. Check if yours is among these settlements, and always stay up to date with the latest weather changes in your hometown and region.

http://zaoknom.com.ua/

This is not an ordinary weather site, but a portal that allows you to find out what weather other meteorological web resources promise. One of the advantages is the ability to track weather conditions in the CIS countries and the European Union. After selecting the desired locality, the portal program will offer you several meteorological resources where you can find information about weather conditions in this city. Moreover, the accuracy of the forecasts is assessed, and you can choose the most “true” one. Among the minuses, we note the unattractive design.

http://pogoda.ru/

A convenient climate web service where you will find weather forecasts for cities in Ukraine and other countries of the world for a period of up to two weeks, detailed weather maps, as well as exchange rates and astrological forecast. Thanks to mobile version applications you can always stay up to date latest changes weather in the world. Another interesting resource service is weather signs. You have an excellent opportunity to check whether the forecasts made on their basis coincide with the weather forecasts of weather forecasters.

http://weather.bigmir.net/

The popular search engine offers a service where you can find out both current weather conditions anywhere in the world, as well as a forecast for a week, 14 days and a month. The information is updated every three hours, so you can be sure that you will always have the most current data on the weather situation. There is also a map of atmospheric fronts, useful articles and tips for weather-sensitive people. An additional convenience is the function that allows you to print forecasts on paper.

http://weather.rambler.ru/#

Information about weather conditions - air temperature, atmospheric pressure, cyclones, wind strength and upcoming precipitation - can be found on this web resource. The authors of the resource assure: here you will find a seven-day weather forecast for 30 thousand settlements in Ukraine. Additionally, users will be able to read information articles that provide interpretation of the terms used by weather forecasters, as well as explanations of the symbols used on weather maps.

http://meteopost.com/

Useful website with ten-day weather forecast for Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine. Those interested can install a special application on their desktop and constantly be aware of weather conditions in their locality. The fisherman's calendar posted on the portal will be a good hint for fishing enthusiasts. From it you can find out when the fish will be caught perfectly, and on what days it is better not to even try to pick up a fishing rod. Meteonews will tell you about the latest weather disasters on the planet.

http://pogodnik.com/

On this site you will not find weather forecasts for a month, a week or even a couple of days. There are no weather maps or descriptions of the routes of atmospheric fronts. The maximum that this resource can offer you is information about the current state of the weather in your city and a list of meteorological terms with explanations for them. Navigation of the site is simple and clear: first you decide on your area of ​​residence, then select your city and see data on air temperature, humidity and precipitation on the screen.

http://www.altmeteo.ru/

A simple, but no less useful web portal telling about the weather in Ufa. You will certainly like the clear and concise interface and convenient system site search. For owners of mobile gadgets, a free application is available that allows you to find out the weather anywhere in the world. The “Order a forecast by mail” service is available. It also contains recommendations for gardeners for every day, and also lists the types of fish that are expected to bite well.

http://www.ufameteo.ru/

This resource was created independently non-profit organization in order to increase the accuracy and efficiency of compiling meteorological forecasts, as well as notifying the population of Moscow and the Moscow region about possible complications weather conditions. For those who believe in omens, the portal’s creators suggest turning to the one posted here folk calendar, and for fans of near-synoptic problems there is a forum where you can ask questions related to forecasting the weather situation.

http://mosmeteo.hmn.ru/

We bring to your attention a specialized resource that contains meteorological maps developed by the military and for the military. The most accurate information about weather conditions in different parts of the globe is stored here. In the menu of the web portal you can find data used by pilots and vehicle owners, satellite images, information on sea water temperature, as well as tips on choosing the optimal climate zone for travel and recreation.

http://www.milmeteo.org/

01.04.2013 11:33

Despite huge selection Internet sites about weather, only a few of them use their own forecasts. For example, you should not hope that the weather on the Sinoptik.ua website can be checked from Yandex, since both services, like hundreds of others, use data from the Finnish meteorological service Foreca.

It is also unlikely that there will be significant differences in the forecast for the British BBC and Russian rp5 . Both services use data from the British Met Office MetOffice.

But such American giants as Weather Underground, AccuWeather, Weather Channel build their forecasts based on the American numerical forecasting model GFS (Global Forecast System).

Strictly speaking, today there are three main global numerical weather forecasting models, or hydrodynamic atmospheric models, in the world. That is, data from all weather stations in the world, satellites, ships and other systems are analyzed, collected and processed in three main ways based on nonlinear equations.

The ECMWF (European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) model office is located in the city of Reading in the UK. It is this forecasting model that is used by Foreca, one of the world's leading providers of weather content. Today, this model is the newest, is developing rapidly and has gained fame as a leader in the accuracy of long-term forecasts.

The UkMet model is the brainchild of the world's oldest weather service, MetOffice, the British government's Met Office. It is considered to be richer than others in terms of scientific potential and gives the most accurate short-term forecast.

As for the American GFS, it has the largest coverage (almost the entire globe) and, according to experts, is the most conservative. The GFS model is operated by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) - the US National Center for Atmospheric and Oceanic Research. Currently, the original GFS data is publicly available for free on American servers. Nevertheless, experts say that it is the least adapted for our latitudes, since it does not take snow cover into account.

A hydrodynamic model of the atmosphere is a unique, complex and expensive product, existing in a single copy. One run of the model takes several hours of CPU time on a supercomputer. Therefore, for weather services in various countries and commercial organizations, the owners provide access not to the model itself, but to the final results of calculations: global fields of meteorological quantities on the planet for different altitudes at different points in time.

In turn, weather services can use their own algorithms for interpolation and presentation of calculated model data. Therefore, differences in weather forecasts arise even where the same model is used as a basis.

Many weather resources combine data from major global models and use a variety of additional “wind corrections” from the world's leading weather organizations.

Quite a unique product of American and Indian programmers with computing power in Denmark and Germany.

1. 7. http://www.intellicast.com

A professional American weather site for the most advanced users with its own forecast based on the GFS model with coverage throughout the globe. The resource belongs to Weather Services International (WSI), part of the Weather Channel group of companies. WSI claims to own the world's largest commercial weather database, partnering with the governments of the United States, Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom. These forecasts are used by most of the world's airlines, and the resource supplies weather content to 60,000 media and companies in the energy sector.

A non-English-speaking user of the site should remember to switch from Fahrenheit to Celsius when searching for the weather in his city.

Additionally, intellicast specializes in providing hurricane and tornado information. This is where most ordinary Americans receive warnings of impending natural disasters.

1. 8. http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/

The BBC Weather Service from one of the world's leading news agencies went online in 1997 and provides weather information licensed from the British weather service MetOficce, that is, it uses the Ukmet forecast model. The UK Met Office is the oldest weather service in the world: it was founded in 1854, and in 1861 it provided the first official weather forecast for English newspapers. The forecast is currently being compiled for 5,000 cities around the world. What is most interesting is that it is the short-term forecasts from the Air Force that turn out to be the most accurate for Kyiv, according to reviews on the Internet.

1. 9. www.weather.com

The service of the American television weather channel The Weather Channel (TWC), which has now turned into a huge corporation. The channel began broadcasting in 1982, and the website opened in 1995. Remarkably, the channel's founder, John Coleman, is a leading critic of the theory global warming. Naturally, Americans use the GFS forecast model. Weather from weather.com is relayed by the Yahoo search engine, and the resource's features include various specialized services, for example, forecasts for gardeners with tips on caring for plants. Unfortunately, the data is presented only on the Fahrenheit scale, so the resource is not popular in our latitudes. But for residents of the Western Hemisphere, this is No. 1.

1. 10. http://www.accuweather.com

American commercial weather service based on the GFS model with 2 million locations worldwide in its database. The company was founded in 1962, and the website appeared in 1995. Now the service specializes in paid services for meteorologists, selling forecast content in the form of XML files and developing convenient weather software for PCs, smartphones and tablets. As for ordinary users, here you can find an hourly forecast and much more for those who speak English well. For Russian speakers who still want to know the forecast American model GFS and enjoy extensive American weather services - the site wunderground.com, where you can even “take” data from one of the world’s 25,000 weather stations.

Weather news on this site cannot but be trusted, because it is an information resource of the Hydrometeorological Center of Russia, the main federal service responsible for climate and environmental monitoring. The main motto of the site is “About the weather first-hand,” and indeed, the most accurate and detailed forecast not only for Russia, but also for all countries of the world comes daily directly from the Hydrometeorological Center. Data on temperature, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and direction are compiled for 5,000 cities around the globe. On the main page of the site there is a map of meteorological hazards, which indicates regions that are threatened by adverse climatic phenomena. In addition, here you can find information on water temperature in different parts of the World Ocean, which is important during the holiday season.

A very simple, concise, easy to navigate site. No unnecessary information, just an accurate and detailed weather forecast for any given region of the globe. A detailed forecast, including data on temperature, wind speed, precipitation, sunrise and sunset, moon phase, geomagnetic disturbances, is issued both for hours and days, and for several days or a month. The website contains information geographic maps that dynamically display changes in temperature, cloudiness, precipitation and wind direction in Europe, Siberia and Far East. Thanks to the maps, you can independently track weather changes three days in advance.

A reputable and popular foreign website, based on The Weather Channel, providing weather information for 100 thousand cities on the planet. Website at English language, but there is a Russian version of it “ru.weather.com”. Beautiful and clear interface, lots of news reports. For a given region, detailed climatic and astronomical data are provided: air temperature and humidity, cloud cover, wind speed and direction, Atmosphere pressure, road visibility, sunrise and sunset, moon phases. On the site you can get a forecast for a specific hour and day, for five or ten days.

An interesting, easy-to-navigate and well-designed online weather magazine, where in addition to instant and accurate forecast For any point on the globe, you can find a variety of climate and astronomical news. By using special program“WeatherObs” determines temperature, wind speed, humidity and air pressure, road visibility for a region specified on the map. Members of the meteorological club and fans of astronomical observations post quite interesting data and photographs on the site about weather anomalies, natural events, nearby comets, solar and lunar activity. The website contains information about monthly weather for all regions of Russia.

A convenient brainchild of the Yandex search engine, loved by many users. A simple, concise interface in pleasant warm colors, the site is not loaded with unnecessary information, only a detailed forecast in numerical data and on a map. Displaying accurate data for any city on the globe within a day, ten days and a month. The site displays all climatic and astronomical information in maximum detail: air temperature and humidity, atmospheric pressure, cloudiness, presence or absence of precipitation, wind speed and direction, sunrise and sunset. For coastal cities, the temperature of sea water in the coastal zone is added, which is important during the holiday season.