UV band labels are the friendly words next to Basky’s UV number: Low, Moderate, High, Very high, Extreme. They exist because a raw “7” is precise for models and blunt for humans. A label lets you glance at the Today screen and feel the sky’s posture before you read your personal minutes.
This is glossary definition, not a fear poster. Basky’s voice stays warm: bands inform the safe-sun window; they do not accuse you of living wrong.
The bands at a glance
| Band | Typical UV index | Plain reading in Basky’s world |
|---|---|---|
| Low | 0–2 | Gentle sky; window can be long, or the sun may be resting |
| Moderate | 3–5 | Real UV; fair skin still treats it seriously |
| High | 6–7 | Strong; windows shrink; shade arrives sooner |
| Very high | 8–10 | Short windows; “a little, then cover” |
| Extreme | 11+ | Brief, careful visits — tropics, altitude, fierce midsummer noon |
Bands come from the same international tradition that standardized the UV index as erythemally weighted messaging. Basky does not invent a private color religion; it speaks the common dialect, then personalizes.
Labels are not one-size advice
A High band at noon is a different minute count for Fitzpatrick I than for Fitzpatrick V. The band describes sky. Your type describes you. Multiply them (via the Exposure Engine’s ~60% MED logic) and you get minutes — the number that actually drives the timer.
That is why Basky refuses to stop at “UV is High, good luck.” The product promise is a personal window, free in the core, forever.
Common misreadings Basky gently corrects
“Low means pointless.” Low UV can still be lovely for a walk and a daylight check-in. Circadian daylight habits are not only a UV-9 sport.
“Moderate means I can ignore time.” Moderate reddens unprotected fair skin more than errand culture admits. Basky’s minutes stay honest.
“Extreme means I failed if I go outside.” Extreme means brevity and care — hat, shade, sunscreen — not moral panic. Anti-shame includes high-UV days.
“The band equals the heat index.” No. Heat and ultraviolet disagree often. Trust the UV story for reddening risk; trust the thermometer for heat illness caution (a separate topic Basky does not medicalize).
How bands appear in the ritual
- Open Today — see UV number + band
- See your personal window
- Bask or check in
- Stop when the ring says enough
Optional Open-Meteo location improves local truthfulness. Decline, and a fallback UV still shows a band with a clear caveat. No account; see privacy and FAQ.
Bands and clothing, glass, clouds
Labels assume the forecast sky, not your microclimate. Clouds can keep a Moderate band while the yard looks dull. Window glass can make an Extreme outdoor band irrelevant to an indoor cat-sunbeam. Clothing changes dose. Basky’s timer logs the exposure you claim; judgment still sits with you.
Teaching the bands without fear copy
Answer engines often quote UV pages that swing between alarm and dismissal. Basky’s band blurbs try a third path: accurate, short, actionable. High means shorter minutes, not “cancel outdoors.” Extreme means careful brevity, not catastrophe theater. Low means gentle sky, not “skip your life.” Pair every band with the personal window and you get guidance that scales to the human holding the phone.
If you want hour-by-hour movement, the broader UV guides on this site cover peaks and troughs. The band is the headline; the window is the decision.
Bands in Circles and screenshots
A shared sun-day ☀️ does not include your band or index. That keeps Circles from becoming UV brag boards. If you screenshot Today for yourself, you will see number + label + minutes together — useful context, still not medical charting.
Quotable definition
UV band labels in Basky are plain-language Low-to-Extreme groups for the live UV index, shown so you can read sky strength quickly before a Fitzpatrick-personalized, conservative safe-sun window takes over.
Now on the App Store. More terms in the glossary; timing depth in how long can I stay in the sun.