Best time to tan in San Francisco today

37.77°N, 122.42°W · UV via TanPilot proxy
9
Very High
typical
Typical

On a clear day San Francisco peaks near 1pm at about 9 — the very high band — then eases toward sunset. The dial shows the live reading; morning and late-afternoon windows stay gentler for a careful tan.

☀ Tan window 9:00–10:30 ☀ Tan window 16:30–18:30 Peak 1pm
typical clear-sky
Today · sunrise → sunset
5:48Solar noon20:30
Hourly UV · typical

Best time to tan in San Francisco

Today the lower-UV tanning windows in San Francisco fall in the morning around 9:00–10:30 and again in the late afternoon around 16:30–18:30, when the index sits well below its peak. Around midday the UV climbs to roughly 9 (very high), so treat the middle of the day as shade-first and keep tanning sessions short. Fog can drop UV fast, but clear afternoons reach very high — always read the index, not the temperature.

Morning 9:00–10:30 Evening 16:30–18:30

See also: UV index in San Francisco today.

7-day UV outlook

Typical clear-sky pattern — the app refreshes this from your live forecast.

Tanning in nearby cities

Source & freshness

Live UV via TanPilot's UV proxy, refreshed regularly; the timeline and hourly curve start from typical clear-sky values for San Francisco and update with the live reading. Estimates only — not medical advice.

Questions

Is it safe to tan in San Francisco at midday?

Around midday San Francisco typically reaches UV 9 (very high), strong enough to burn unprotected skin quickly. It is better used as shade-first time. For a gentler session, aim for the lower-UV windows around 9:00–10:30 or 16:30–18:30, and use broad-spectrum SPF. These are estimates, not medical advice.

When is UV lowest in San Francisco?

UV is lowest near sunrise (5:48) and sunset (20:30) and climbs to its peak around 1pm. The morning and late-afternoon tan windows — about 9:00–10:30 and 16:30–18:30 — are the lower-UV parts of daylight that are still warm enough to be useful for a careful tan.