Sun and Elements
Southern Alberta is sunny, dry and windy all year. That means sun protection in January as well as July, eyes that need guarding from snow glare, lips and skin that crack in the wind, and drinking water even when you don’t feel thirsty. Here’s how to protect yourself in every season.
On this page
UV and the UV index
Ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun causes sunburn, skin damage and skin cancer, and can damage your eyes. You can’t see it or feel it, and it gets through cloud. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) reports it as the UV index.
| UV index | Level | What ECCC suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 2 | Low | Minimal risk, except when it’s bright and there’s snow on the ground. Wear sunglasses with UV protection. On bright, snowy days, cover up and use sunscreen if you’re outside for more than an hour. |
| 3 to 5 | Moderate | Wear a hat that covers your face and ears and tightly woven clothes that cover your skin, and put sunscreen on skin you can’t cover. Look for shade near midday, when the sun is strongest. You still need protection on cool or slightly cloudy days. |
| 6 to 7 | High | The same as Moderate: hat, covering clothes, sunscreen on skin you can’t cover, and shade near midday. Cool or slightly cloudy weather doesn’t stop UV. |
| 8 to 10 | Very high | Don’t stay too long in the sun, especially between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Wear sunglasses with UV protection, stay in the shade, and reapply sunscreen every 2 hours or after swimming or sweating a lot. Unprotected skin can burn quickly on clear, sunny days. |
| 11 and up | Extreme | The same as Very high. Values this high are rare in Canada. |
The Canadian Dermatology Association notes that the UV index in Canada can be 3 or higher from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. between April and September, even when it’s cloudy. Lethbridge gets around 2,500 hours of sunshine a year, so most spring and summer days here call for sun protection.
Check the forecast page for the day’s UV index before a long day outside, and plan outdoor work and play for the morning or late afternoon when you can.
Sun all year: snow and altitude
ECCC says the UV index in Canada is generally low in winter, except when snow reflects UV to almost double the index value. Fresh white snow can reflect over 80% of the sun’s UV rays. That’s why people get sunburned skiing, snowshoeing or ice fishing on a bright day, and why the skin under the chin and nose burns.
- Bright day plus snow means sun protection, even in January: sunglasses, sunscreen on the face and lip balm with sunscreen.
- Altitude adds UV. ECCC notes that more UV reaches higher places because the air is thinner and clearer. A day in Waterton or the mountains brings more UV than the same day in town, and spring snow there is bright well into May.
- Water reflects too. Reservoirs, lakes and rivers bounce sunlight back up, under the brim of your hat.
- Cloud doesn’t stop it. ECCC says UV can cause burns even when it’s cloudy, though thick cloud reduces it.
Snow blindness is a painful sunburn of the eye’s surface from UV, often after hours on bright snow or open water without good sunglasses. It usually shows up hours later as gritty, watering, painful eyes. If it happens, rest your eyes indoors and see a health care provider.
Hats and clothing
The Canadian Dermatology Association’s advice:
- A hat with a wide brim that shades your head, face, ears and the back of your neck. Ball caps leave ears and the neck bare.
- Clothing that covers as much skin as possible. Tightly woven fabric, or clothing labelled as UV-protective, blocks more sun.
- Shade between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. when you can.
- Wind-proof the hat. In Lethbridge, a wide brim without a chin strap ends up in the next field. Choose one with a cord or strap. For children, choose a strap that comes apart easily if it catches: Alberta Health Services advises taking drawstrings and cords out of children’s clothing, because they can catch and strangle.
- Light, loose, breathable clothing keeps you cooler in the heat. Health Canada recommends loose-fitting, light-coloured clothing made from breathable fabric.
- In winter, a toque that covers the ears, plus sunglasses and sunscreen on the face, protects against both cold and glare. For dressing for the cold, see Clothing and Footwear.
Sunglasses and UV400
Health Canada says you can’t tell how much UV protection sunglasses give by looking at them, and lens darkness doesn’t tell you either. Look at the label instead.
- Look for “UV400” or “100% UV” protection. The Canadian Association of Optometrists advises looking for one of these on the label. Health Canada advises a label with UVA and UVB protection.
- Close-fitting wraparound sunglasses block light from the sides. Health Canada and the Canadian Dermatology Association both recommend them.
- Dark enough to be comfortable, but not so dark that you can’t see well.
- Polarizing lenses cut glare reflected from water, snow and roads. They are about comfort and glare, not UV; check the label for UV protection as well.
- Wear them year-round. The Canadian Dermatology Association recommends sunglasses or eyeglasses with UV-protective lenses outdoors all year, which includes bright winter days on snow.
- Children’s eyes are especially sensitive to UV, the Canadian Association of Optometrists says. Children’s sunglasses should have plastic or polycarbonate lenses rather than glass, for impact protection.
- Prescription glasses can have UV protection built in; ask your optometrist.
Why can you get a sunburn on a cold winter day? Sunburn comes from UV light, not heat. Fresh snow is like a giant mirror. It bounces UV back up at you, so you get sun from above and below.
Wonder: why do skiers sometimes get a sunburn under their chin?
Try this: on a sunny winter day, look at the snow and then at a dark patch of ground (with your sunglasses on). Which one is brighter? Which do you think bounces more sunlight back at you?
Sunscreen, lips and skin
Sunscreen
- Broad-spectrum, SPF 30 or higher. Health Canada and the Canadian Dermatology Association both recommend a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or more on skin that clothing doesn’t cover.
- Use enough. The Canadian Dermatology Association suggests about two to three tablespoons of lotion for the whole body, and about a teaspoon for the face and neck. Most people use far less.
- Reapply. Health Canada says to reapply 20 minutes after going outside and at least every 2 hours after that, and more often if you’re swimming or sweating heavily.
- Don’t forget ears, the back of the neck, the tops of feet, the backs of hands and a bald or thinning scalp.
Lips
Lips burn easily and crack in our dry, windy air. The Canadian Dermatology Association suggests a lip balm with sunscreen. Carry it in a pocket all year, and reapply often, especially after eating or drinking.
Skin in wind and cold
- Our dry air and wind pull moisture from skin, especially the face and hands. A plain, fragrance-free moisturizer after washing helps.
- Cover up in the wind. A neck warmer or face covering protects against both windburn and frostbite.
- Check your skin. See a doctor about any new or changing mole or spot, or a sore that doesn’t heal.
Babies and young children
- Babies under one year: Health Canada advises keeping them out of direct sunlight, to prevent skin damage and dehydration.
- Babies under 6 months: Health Canada says not to put sunscreen on them. Keep them out of direct sun and heat, in the shade, with a hat and light clothing that covers their skin. Their skin and bodies are much more sensitive than an adult’s.
- Older babies and children: shade, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, clothing that covers the skin, and a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher.
- Never leave a child alone in a parked vehicle, even for a minute.
The What to Wear page covers dressing kids and babies for both cold and sun.
Hydration in every season
Our air is dry and our wind is constant, and both carry water away from your body faster than you notice.
In the heat
- Drink before you feel thirsty. Health Canada says to drink plenty of water before you feel thirsty to decrease your risk of dehydration, and that thirst is not a good indicator of dehydration.
- Eat water-rich fruit and vegetables, which Health Canada also suggests.
- Ask your doctor or pharmacist whether any of your medicines or health conditions raise your risk in the heat.
- Heat exhaustion calls for moving to a cool place and drinking water. Heat stroke is a medical emergency; call 911. See the camping guide’s heat and sun section.
In the cold
- You still need water. McGill University’s Gault Nature Reserve notes that we don’t feel as thirsty in cold weather, and that cold, dry air makes us lose water through our breath.
- Bring a warm drink in an insulated bottle on winter outings, such as tea or broth.
- Keep water from freezing by carrying the bottle inside your jacket, or upside down in an insulated sleeve so ice forms at the bottom, not in the lid.
- Skip the alcohol. Health Canada says drinking alcohol before you go out in the cold may increase your risk of hypothermia.
All year
Canada’s food guide says to make water your drink of choice, to drink water during and after physical activity, and to carry a reusable water bottle when you’re out.
Wind protection
Wind is the element that most sets Lethbridge apart. ECCC climate normals show about 116 days a year at the airport with gusts of 40 km/h or more. Wind strips away the warm air that clothing traps, dries skin and lips, blows dust and grit into eyes, and makes cold far more dangerous.
- A windproof outer layer is the most useful piece of clothing here. Health Canada’s cold-weather advice is to dress in layers with a wind-resistant outer layer. See Shells.
- Cover exposed skin on cold, windy days: a neck warmer pulled up over the nose, a hood, and mittens. Check the What to Wear page for wind chill and frostbite times.
- Protect your eyes with wraparound sunglasses or safety glasses on dusty, windy days.
- Secure what can blow away: hats with chin straps, and hoods that snug down. For children, skip drawcords and use straps that come apart if they catch.
- Cyclists feel it most. Riding into a headwind adds to the wind chill. See Cycling.
Gary carries a pocket weather meter to check the wind on the spot, but for most people the forecast page, with its wind speed and gusts, is the place to start.
Sources
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ultraviolet (UV) index and sun safety: how to use it (UV levels and actions, snow reflection, altitude, clouds, winter): canada.ca
- Canadian Dermatology Association, Sun safety for everyday (hats, clothing, sunscreen amounts, lip balm, sunglasses year-round, UV index April to September): dermatology.ca
- Health Canada, Sun safety tips for parents (babies under one year out of direct sunlight): canada.ca
- Health Canada, Important sunscreen safety tips for Canadians (SPF 30, broad spectrum, reapplying, babies under 6 months): recalls-rappels.canada.ca
- Health Canada, Sunglasses (labels, lens darkness, wraparound, polarizing): canada.ca
- Canadian Association of Optometrists, Position statement: UV and eye protection (2023) (UV400 or 100% UV, children’s lenses): opto.ca
- Health Canada, It’s much too hot! Protect yourself from extreme heat (drink before you feel thirsty, clothing, hats): canada.ca
- Health Canada, Fact sheet: Staying healthy in the heat (clothing, older adults, medicines): canada.ca
- Health Canada, Canada’s food guide, Make water your drink of choice: canada.ca
- Health Canada, Extreme cold (wind-resistant outer layer, alcohol): canada.ca
- McGill University, Gault Nature Reserve, Hydrate and prevent hypothermia (2023): gault.mcgill.ca
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020, Lethbridge Airport (about 2,500 hours of sunshine; about 116 days with gusts of 40 km/h or more).
- Alberta Health Services, MyHealth.Alberta.ca, Clothing safety for children (drawstrings and cords): myhealth.alberta.ca
- Snow blindness, skin and water-bottle tips follow general health and outdoor practice.
General information only, not medical advice. Check the forecast, the UV index and current alerts before a long day out.