# sunburn in December **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 30, 2003, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunburn-in-december/204703 "2003-09-30T15:14:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunburn-in-december/204703/1 "2003-09-30T15:14:37Z")
My son would like to know if someone can actually (or ever has) gotten a sunburn in the winter. I, myself, can’t see how. No one stays sitting outside (I’m talking about Northern states here not Florida) that long. Its also usually never sunny enough in the winter. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunburn-in-december/204703/2 "2003-09-30T15:18:51Z")
Sky and Telescope magazine once ran an article on this subject. It’ll take me some time but I could try to track it down. The gist of the article was that the sun had to be at a certain elevation for enough of the UVB rays to have an appreciable effect. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunburn-in-december/204703/3 "2003-09-30T15:20:29Z")
Not sure if there is any documentation of any such thing but I have heard about skiers that get sunburn on their faces from being out all day on a sunny day. It can be plenty sunny in the winter. The angle of the sun is lower so the rays are more filtered at the same time of day (compared to summer) but they are still there and theoretically there’s no reason you can’t get a burn in the winter. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunburn-in-december/204703/4 "2003-09-30T15:23:03Z")
OK, let’s try [this](http://www.aad.org/PressReleases/lessdangerous.html) ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunburn-in-december/204703/5 "2003-09-30T15:28:23Z")
CookingWithGas’s links are interesting but all seem to talk about being at higher elevations. I know that the Sky and Telescope article didn’t consider altitude, only latitude and time of year/time of day. Must find the article now, damn! ---
**Author:** ![micco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f8ce5/32.png) [@micco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/micco)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunburn-in-december/204703/6 "2003-09-30T15:31:31Z")
Anecdotes aren’t as useful as CookingWithGas’s cite, but the worst sunburn I ever had I got in late February skiing in Colorado. My face and forehead were sunburned quite badly after a full day of skiing. Normally I’m more careful because it’s quite easy to get sunburned in the winter, but this day started out stormy and I didn’t bother with sunscreen. The storm broke mid-morning and I enjoyed a long afternoon of clear skies until I came in out of the cold and realized how badly I’d burned. ---
**Author:** ![micco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f8ce5/32.png) [@micco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/micco)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunburn-in-december/204703/7 "2003-09-30T15:34:51Z")
Slight correction… the day I got the bad sunburn I was skiing at Lake Tahoe (Squaw Valley), not my usual Colorado sites, so the elevation was significantly lower. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunburn-in-december/204703/8 "2003-09-30T15:34:55Z")
You can definitely get a burn here. Matter of fact winter and overcast days are some of the worst times to get a burn. The cooler weather disguises the fact that you are in the sun. One of the worst burns I ever got was on a “cool” overcast day. Cool being a relative term. Anything below 90 degrees F is cool… below 50 brrrr… find a jacket 😃 **Cw/Gas** I think the deal w/ skiers (snow & water) the cause of much of their burns is due to reflection off the snow/water IIRC. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunburn-in-december/204703/9 "2003-09-30T15:35:04Z")
You can easily get sunburned skiing on a sunny day here in the east, where you rarely ski above 4000’. There’s plenty of sun, the snow acts as a reflector and you can get sunburn in interesting places, like under your chin. I always carry sunscreen in my winter hiking pack. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunburn-in-december/204703/10 "2003-09-30T15:35:55Z")
good! looks like we have a definitve answer here. But most people usually cover up in winter so only get burned on their face. Except for those nutters-the polar bear club. ---
**Author:** ![micco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f8ce5/32.png) [@micco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/micco)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunburn-in-december/204703/11 "2003-09-30T15:48:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Telemark \* > **There’s plenty of sun, the snow acts as a reflector and you can get sunburn in interesting places, like under your chin.** I knew some ice climbers who got sunburned inside their nostrils hiking on a glacier. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunburn-in-december/204703/12 "2003-09-30T16:01:57Z")
> [@](#): > > No one stays sitting outside (I’m talking about Northern states here not Florida) that long. Not true, there are lot’s of winter sports and activities. > [@](#): > > Its also usually never sunny enough in the winter. Maybe back east, but in Colorado, we get plenty of sun in the winter. It helps heat my house. As has been said, you can definitely get sunburned in the winter. Sun reflecting of snow is a big contributor. I live at 11,200 and as long as it’s not windy, I can sit on my deck in shorts and a tee shirt in December, and I’m gonna fry. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2003, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunburn-in-december/204703/13 "2003-10-01T08:15:50Z")
I too must say I was shocked last March when a coworker came back from Colorado with a sunburned face. To steal the thread…Do you just get it from the snow reflection? For instance could I sit by a window with a lot of sun pouring in, in say Denver. I know that I get so much better tan at the beach than at the park. I guess it’s due to the sand reflecting. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2003, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunburn-in-december/204703/14 "2003-10-01T09:25:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Markxxx \* > **To steal the thread…Do you just get it from the snow reflection? For instance could I sit by a window with a lot of sun pouring in, in say Denver.** The snow doesn’t intensify or focus the UV, it merely relfects the UV coming down from the sky. So yes, even without snow you can get a tan or sunburn in winter. ---
**Author:** ![Chagto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@Chagto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chagto)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2003, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunburn-in-december/204703/15 "2003-10-01T10:06:03Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Markxxx_ > **To steal the thread…Do you just get it from the snow reflection? For instance could I sit by a window with a lot of sun pouring in, in say Denver.** > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by scr4_ > **The snow doesn’t intensify or focus the UV, it merely relfects the UV coming down from the sky. So yes, even without snow you can get a tan or sunburn in winter.** Though not, according to [Cecil](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_163b.html), through the window.