Our Mission

uvindex.now exists to give travelers, outdoor workers, and anyone planning time in the sun a way to check live UV index data instantly — no apps to download, no accounts to create, no paywalls. UV radiation is one of the most undervalued public health signals: it changes hour by hour, varies dramatically by location and season, and is the single largest controllable factor in skin cancer prevention. Yet most UV information online is buried under weather widgets, app downloads, or advertisements. We built uvindex.now because that gap shouldn't exist.

Who's Behind uvindex.now

uvindex.now is built and maintained independently by Björn Stavenuiter in the Netherlands, as a free public-health utility. It is not affiliated with any government service or weather portal, and it carries no sponsored content. Found something that could be better? Corrections and suggestions are always welcome via the contact details below.

The Story

Most UV-checking websites either belong to large weather portals — where UV is one of many metrics buried under temperature and rainfall — or are mobile apps that require download and sign-up. Neither serves the most common use case: someone checking UV during a 30-second mobile browse before heading outside.

uvindex.now strips the experience down to that core question — what's the UV index in my city right now, and what should I do about it? The answer is on the page within seconds, with no friction. The site covers 420+ cities worldwide with dedicated live tool pages, plus 49 US state hub pages, and a growing library of educational articles on UV science, sun protection, and tanning safety.

How We Work

Data sources

Live UV readings come from Open-Meteo, an open-source weather API funded by the European research community and used by thousands of weather applications worldwide. Open-Meteo aggregates national weather service data without commercial bias.

UV index scale

All risk classifications, exposure recommendations, and burn-time estimates follow the World Health Organization Global Solar UV Index — the international standard developed in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme, and the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection.

Editorial standards

Our blog content is researched against published dermatological literature and reviewed for accuracy against current Skin Cancer Foundation and WHO guidance. We are not medical professionals — our content is for educational purposes only, and we always recommend consulting a dermatologist for personalized advice.

Revenue model

uvindex.now is free for visitors and will remain so. We earn affiliate commissions from product recommendations (sunscreen, UV-protective clothing) through the Amazon Associates program. Affiliate links are clearly marked as such, and we only recommend products we'd use ourselves.

Why .now?

Because the name is the promise. When you type uvindex.now into your browser, you're asking for UV data now — and that's exactly what you get: the current value for your location, within seconds, no app, no signup.

Data, Methodology & Editorial Standards

The full explanation of our data pipeline — source, refresh cycle, burn-time assumptions and limitations — lives on our methodology page.

All UV values on uvindex.now come from Open-Meteo, refreshed every 15 minutes. Protection guidance follows the WHO's UV-band conventions (optional protection below UV 3, required from UV 3, extra caution from UV 8), and burn-time estimates use standard Fitzpatrick skin-type guidance. Health-related articles cite their sources at the end of each piece.

uvindex.now provides general sun-safety information, not medical advice — for concerns about your skin, please see a qualified professional. Found an error? Tell us via the contact details below and we'll fix it.

Contact

For partnership inquiries, press requests, feedback, or general questions: