2025 Was the 4th-Warmest Year on Record. Your Sunscreen Routine Should Notice.
With Utah and Nevada setting all-time temperature records, daily sun protection is shifting from a beach habit to a year-round one across the high-UV Mountain West.
NOAA reported that the contiguous United States averaged 54.6°F in 2025, which is 2.6°F above the 20th-century average and the 4th-warmest in 131 years of record-keeping, with Utah and Nevada each setting new annual temperature records.
NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information frames 2025 as part of a clear warming trend rather than a one-off, the kind of context that argues for sun protection as a consistent daily routine, especially at high elevation where UV is more intense.
Questions we get a lot
How hot was 2025 compared to a normal year?
According to NOAA, the contiguous United States averaged 54.6°F in 2025, which is 2.6°F above the 20th-century average. That made it the 4th-warmest year in 131 years of national record-keeping. NOAA also documented new annual temperature records in Utah and Nevada.
Does a hotter year mean more UV exposure?
Heat and UV are related but not identical; temperature reflects warmth while UV reflects ultraviolet intensity. Still, NOAA's 2025 analysis points to record warmth concentrated in high-elevation, often clear-sky regions like the Mountain West, where UV tends to be strong. A warmer baseline and more time spent outdoors both raise the case for consistent sun protection.
Should I wear sunscreen year-round in a place like Utah or Nevada?
Daily sunscreen is widely recommended in high-UV regions regardless of season, and NOAA's documentation of record warmth in Utah and Nevada underscores how much these areas heat up. High elevation thins the atmosphere that filters UV, so exposure can be significant even on cool days. Treating sunscreen as part of your morning routine is a reasonable response to that environment.
r/SkincareAddiction: 'I moved to Salt Lake City and my skin burns way faster than it did at sea level, is the altitude actually making the sun worse?'