If the sky is blue all over France, the risk of getting sunburn is not the same with your feet in the ocean or on the top of a mountain. The sun’s radiation will burn faster in the mountains than at sea. Because of the altitude. Ultraviolet rays are stronger the closer you are to the sun.
But, in addition, you should know that ultraviolet rays – that is to say the electromagnetic energy emitted by the sun – are partly absorbed by the atmosphere. And the higher you climb, the thinner this layer is, so the higher you climb, the less protected you are. L’index UV increases by 10% every 1,000 meters, while the temperature drops as you go up.
For example, this Tuesday, August 27, in the Pyrénées-Orientales, in Canet-en-Roussillon by the sea it was 30 degrees and the UV index was 7, while in the mountains in Font-Romeu it was only 20 degrees but the UV index was 9, because it is at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters.
A phenomenon which is accentuated in winter with snow which has a reverberation power 3 to 8 times greater than water and sand. Also watch out for clouds! While low, dark clouds – cumulonimbus type – absorb all UV rays, white clouds only filter half of them on average. And as for the light veils in the sky, high-altitude clouds like cirrus, they only filter 5 to 10% of UV rays. They are misleading because they reduce the brightness, lower the temperature, giving an impression of security while the radiation remains strong!
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