UV index in San Francisco today
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.
UV index in San Francisco today
The dial above shows San Francisco's live UV (37.77°N, 122.42°W) via TanPilot's UV proxy. On a typical clear day the index builds through the morning and peaks near 1pm at about 9 — the very high band — before easing off toward sunset at 20:30. Use the current value, not the temperature, to decide whether it is a tan window or a cover-up hour. Fog can drop UV fast, but clear afternoons reach very high — always read the index, not the temperature.
See also: Best time to tan in San Francisco.
7-day UV outlook
Typical clear-sky pattern — the app refreshes this from your live forecast.
UV 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.