Meteorologist Samantha Davies

August is off to a very hot start! Many of us have been dealing with temperatures over 90 degrees and in the upcoming days it will get even hotter! The jet stream is positioned well to our north and there’s broad area of high pressure in place allowing southwesterly winds to push in even more heat and humidity! Cities like St. Louis all the way to Burlington are baking in the August sun. Western cities are not being spared from the intense heat either! Places like Boise, and Salt Lake City have seen temperatures above normal.

Looking at the Climate Prediction Center’s temperature outlook for the next few weeks, above normal temperatures are forecasted for almost the entire country! When I’m not working in the cold, air-conditioned studio, like many of you I am outside sitting by a pool!

I am always wearing sunscreen, are you??? It seems that with all of the information about sunscreen and skin cancer online and in the news people are still confused. My dad will often apply a sunscreen with an SPF 15, twice thinking he is now getting the protection of an SPF 30. Wrong! SPF values are not additive putting two layers of SPF 15, still only leaves you with the protection of an SPF 15.

Now here’s something that we hear about but do we actually know, what the difference is between UVA and UVB rays? (I see this on all of my sunscreen bottles and I still get confused on which rays do what!) Well they are both types of ultraviolet radiation from the sun but they harm you in different ways. UVA rays penetrate deep into your skin and cause aging. UVB rays are responsible for your painful sunburn and the cause of skin cancer. Wrinkles and skin cancer are both thing you do not want, so make sure your sunscreen protects you from both!

Stay Cool!!