On this page · 8 sections
What does UIL require?
In June 2026 the UIL Legislative Council made the Heat Stress and Athletic Participation guidelines required standards for all member schools, effective August 1, 2026. They cover all practices held outdoors, including covered pavilions, and indoor facilities that are not climate-controlled. Practice is timed from when players report to the outside practice area until they leave it.
Schools must use a scientifically approved instrument that measures WBGT, or another scientifically proven method such as internet-based weather station software or an application. An on-site instrument is set up 30 minutes before practice and read 15 minutes before it starts; an internet source is checked within 15 minutes of the start. Readings then follow every 30 minutes during practice. UIL’s WBGT map places each area in Class 2 or Class 3, and each class has its own set of bands.
Reading cadence
On-site instrument set up 30 minutes before practice and read 15 minutes before it. Then every 30 minutes during practice.
Class 2 or Class 3
UIL’s WBGT map decides which bands apply. A school near the line makes a local determination before the year starts and applies it consistently.
Rapid cooling zone
From 82.0 in Class 3 or 79.7 in Class 2, for every contest, practice, workout and conditioning session: cold-water immersion tubs or tarps on hand.
Rest breaks and water
Unrestricted access to water. Rest breaks involve unlimited hydration and rest, with no activity.
The UIL WBGT threshold table
Five bands, read from the WBGT instrument. Find your class on the UIL WBGT map, then read across. The row colour follows the Flash alert scale your athletic trainers already see in the app.
| Class 3 | Class 2 | Activity limit | Rest breaks | Football equipment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 82.0 | Under 79.7 | Normal activities | At least 3 separate breaks each hour, minimum 3 min each | None listed |
| 82.0 – 86.9 | 79.7 – 84.6 | Use discretion for intense or prolonged exercise. Mandatory onsite rapid cooling zone (tub or tarp) | At least 3 separate breaks each hour, minimum 4 min each | None listed |
| 87.0 – 90.0 | 84.7 – 87.6 | Maximum practice time 2 hours. Mandatory onsite rapid cooling zone (tub or tarp) | At least 4 separate breaks each hour, minimum 4 min each | Helmet, shoulder pads and shorts only |
| 90.1 – 92.0 | 87.7 – 89.7 | Maximum practice time 1 hour. Mandatory onsite rapid cooling zone (tub or tarp) | 20 minutes of breaks distributed through the hour | No protective equipment; no conditioning activities |
| 92.1 and above | 89.8 and above | No outdoor workouts — delay practice until a cooler WBGT is reached | — | — |
Source: UIL 2026-2027 Heat Stress & Athletic Participation Required Plan, WBGT Activity Guidelines chart (uiltexas.org), checked 5 Oct 2026. Values are WBGT measurements, not temperature or heat index. If WBGT rises into the third band during practice, football players may continue in football pants without changing to shorts. The practice limits do not apply to UIL competitions; the rapid cooling zone does.
Where does Flash fit?
Flash is a forecast for planning, not an on-site meter: UIL compliance uses the reading your school takes 15 minutes before and every 30 minutes during practice. Flash's WBGT forecast tells you at 1 pm what the 4 pm reading is likely to be, so you can move practice instead of cancelling it.
Heat: plan, don't cancel
The outlook runs per field for every hour of the afternoon, against the bands for your class. Shift the start, swap the equipment plan or go indoors before the cars arrive.
Lightning: up to 60 minutes ahead
Strike-level prediction on a 1×1 km cell, refreshed every 2 minutes. Up to 99.6% lightning prediction accuracy on a one-hour window, measured against NLDN ground-truth strikes — method published.
Accuracy methodReturn to play: the all-clear timer
After the last strike inside your radius, Flash runs your policy's all-clear timer and logs it, so play resumes on evidence.
Weather Command Center
Flash Heat and WBGT prediction WBGT forecast, heat index, air temperature and dew point per 1×1 km cell
What does a planning day look like?
Illustrative example · Not live weather — the readings are examples, the rules are UIL's (Class 3)
6:15 pm · The reading that decides the day
The band you land in sets the clock, the breaks, the pads and the cooling zone.
Flash WBGT forecast for the practice field: 85 by 3 pm, into 87.0–90.0 by 4 pm. The athletic director flags the football session.
Decision: run at 4 pm under the 2-hour cap with four 4-minute breaks an hour, or push to 6:30 pm. The AD pushes. The bus, the trainers and the parents hear now, not at 3:45.
On-site reading 15 minutes before practice, on an instrument set up at 6:00: 84.1, the 82.0–86.9 band. Three 4-minute breaks per hour go on the plan and the rapid cooling zone, tub or tarp, is set up.
Flash lightning alert: a strike is predicted inside the site radius within the next 60 minutes. The field clears.
Last strike inside the radius. Flash starts the all-clear timer.
All clear. Practice resumes; the alert log records who was warned, when, and when play returned.
What should the athletic director keep on file?
UIL recommends, rather than requires, that schools record and keep WBGT readings on file. Keeping these together means a question from the district, the District Executive Committee or a parent is answered from one folder.
- WBGT readings with times — 15 minutes before practice, then every 30 minutes — taken by the same person where possible.
- Which class the school follows, Class 2 or Class 3, and near the line the local determination made before the year started.
- The band each reading fell in and the decision it triggered: practice length, rest breaks, football equipment, the cooling zone.
- The emergency action plan, including onsite rapid cooling by cold-water immersion or equivalent means.
- The Flash alert log: lightning alerts, who was notified, the all-clear, and the WBGT forecast the schedule decision was based on.
Which other states publish WBGT policies?
Every state page follows this template: verified thresholds, the reading cadence, what to keep on file, and where the WBGT forecast fits.
State by state
Same instrument, different bands — the WBGT forecast travels with you.
- Georgia (GHSA)
- Florida (FHSAA)
- Arizona (AIA)
- Arkansas (AAA)
- Colorado (CHSAA)
- Hawaii (HHSAA)
- Illinois (IHSA)
- Kansas (KSHSAA)
- Massachusetts (MIAA)
- Mississippi (MHSAA)
- Missouri (MSHSAA)
- Nevada (NIAA)
- New Hampshire (NHIAA)
- New Mexico (NMAA)
- North Carolina (NCHSAA)
- Ohio (OHSAA)
- West Virginia (WVSSAC)
- Oklahoma (OSSAA)
- Alabama (AHSAA)
- California (CIF)
- Connecticut (CIAC)
- Iowa (IHSAA / IGHSAU)
- Kentucky (KHSAA)
- Louisiana (LHSAA)
- Minnesota (MSHSL)
- Nebraska (NSAA)
- New Jersey (NJSIAA)
- New York (NYSPHSAA)
- South Carolina (SCHSL)
- South Dakota (SDHSAA)
- Utah (UHSAA)
- Vermont (VPA)
- Virginia (VHSL)
- Washington (WIAA)
- Wisconsin (WIAA)
Sources
- UIL — 2026-2027 Heat Stress & Athletic Participation Required Plan, with the WBGT Activity Guidelines chart and the WBGT map. Thresholds, reading cadence, rapid cooling zones. Checked 5 Oct 2026.uiltexas.org/health/info/heat-stress-and-athletic-participation (opens in a new tab)
- UIL — Heat Stress & Athletic Participation FAQs. Covered settings, records, the Class 2 / Class 3 line, violations. Checked 5 Oct 2026.uiltexas.org/health/info/heat-stress-and-athletic-participation-faqs (opens in a new tab)
- UIL — Legislative Council General Session packet, June 2026, pp. 13–14. The guidelines become required standards from August 1, 2026. Checked 5 Oct 2026.uiltexas.org/files/policy/Legislative-Council-General-Session-Packet-June-2026.pdf (opens in a new tab)
- UIL Constitution & Contest Rules — Section 1250, Football: acclimatization and practice limits. Checked 5 Oct 2026.uiltexas.org/policy/constitution/athletics/football (opens in a new tab)
UIL documents are published at uiltexas.org (opens in a new tab).
Frequently asked
No. UIL compliance is decided by the reading your school takes with a scientifically approved instrument or method, 15 minutes before practice and every 30 minutes during it. Flash's WBGT forecast tells you where that reading is heading — a scheduling tool, not a compliance instrument.
The UIL WBGT map places each area in Class 2 or Class 3. UIL does not publish a county list; a school near the line between them makes a local determination before the year starts and applies it consistently.
No. The WBGT practice guidelines and limitations do not apply to UIL competitions. A rapid cooling zone is still required at any contest at or above 82.0 in Class 3 or 79.7 in Class 2.
Required. In June 2026 the UIL Legislative Council made them required standards for all member schools, effective August 1, 2026. Keeping WBGT records on file is still a recommendation.