Springtime Sun Exposure in the Southwest: Cool Doesn’t Always Mean Comfortable
With the coldest of the months having finally receded, you find yourself venturing back out into your backyard. Thankfully, the heat hasn’t settled in to blanket you, albeit it’s warm enough that you can finally don a t-shirt for the first time since last year.
In short, you feel comfortable basking in the spring sun.
But be wary — just because it’s not hot, that doesn’t mean you’re safe from hazardous sun exposure. Particularly if you live in the Southwest, we recommend you keep the following in mind:
In Light of the Change of Seasons
Oftentimes, people mistake the outdoor temperature with their overall risk of sun exposure and skin damage. And while hot summer days do, on average, feature higher volumes of sunlight, that doesn’t mean your skin is safe when the weather cools down.
Why? It all comes down to ultraviolet (UV) light.
“UV levels are highest under cloudless skies, and cloud cover generally reduces a person’s exposure,” the World Health Organization (WHO) explains. “However, light or thin clouds have little effect and may even enhance UV levels because of scattering. Don’t be fooled by an overcast day or a cool breeze!”
Thus, it’s worth asking: How often do you seek out shade and sun protection on a temperate day?
The Sun-Soaked Southwest
“Overall, the Southwest gets the most sun in an average day, along with select regions on the Gulf Coast and the southern tip of Florida,” as reported by the Washington Post.
As a matter of fact, the sunniest place on Earth can be found in the Southwestern region of the United States: Yuma, Arizona.
According to the World Meteorological Organization, Yuma is the sunniest place on Earth, experiencing a total average of about 4,015 hours of sunshine per year. Broken down, this looks like approximately 13 hours of sunlight in the summer season and 11 hours of sunlight in winter.
And if this is just one location in the entirety of the Southwest, you can imagine just how much other areas get… no matter the time of year.
The Safety of State-of-the-Art Shade
At the end of the day, “everyone needs sun protection during daylight hours all year long, regardless of their skin type or the UV forecast for the day,” according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
And that’s why, here at Sunesta, we remain committed to engineering industry-leading retractable screens that will optimize your outdoor comfort and safety!
Custom-designed with durable mesh that is woven to your preference, our screens are capable of generating shade that will keep you safe and protected from direct UV light exposure. What’s more, once the summer returns to settle over the Southwest, our screens will also keep you up to 20 degrees cooler!
So, are you ready to experience revolutionary outdoor comfort and the nation’s best warranty? Then reach out to Sunesta today by calling 1-800-SUNESTA! We look forward to helping you live life in the shade.