Gary Archibald, Weathercaster

It’s feeling like summer in parts of the nation this week – the Southwest for example is hot and dry. Yuma, Casa Grande, and Phoenix, Arizona have been under the sun (quite literally), and that blazing sunshine, coupled with high pressure and thermal low-pressure systems pumping in the very warm air, has produced temperatures in the 100 – 105 range! That’s hot.

And it’s not the kind of weather situation that one wants to take lightly; in fact, no matter where you are – the sun's rays (UV in particular), even when it’s cloudy (to a lesser degree), are penetrating your protective layer: your skin. Know that skin cancer, especially among younger Americans (especially teens) is a significant problem. Pre-mature aging too is not cool in my books – I think that you would agree. PROTECT YOURSELF. You know the drill. And take a look at his, a refresher of sorts from our friends at www.wikipedia.com:

UV index is an international standard measurement of how strong the ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun is at a particular place on a particular day. It is a scale primarily used in daily forecasts aimed at the general public.

Its purpose is to help people to effectively protect themselves from UV light, of which excessive exposure causes sunburns, eye damage such as cataracts, skin aging, and skin cancer (see the section health effects of ultraviolet light). Public-health organizations recommend that people protect themselves (for example, by applying sunscreen to the skin and wearing a hat) when the UV index is 3 or higher; see the table below for complete recommendations.