South Carolina SCHSL WBGT Rules

South Carolina is one of the strictest states on how you get the number: the League requires every school to own and use an on-site WBGT thermometer, and says in writing that phone apps do not count.

South Carolina is a device-only state

The guidelines open with a requirement, not a suggestion: "All schools are required to use a 1) scientifically approved on-site Wet Bulb Globe Thermometer (WBGT), 2) cold immersion tub or other effective cooling devices, and 3) have a venue-specific Emergency Action Plan in place". On measurement they add: "A scientifically approved WBGT thermometer should be on site and utilized. Do not rely on local weather updates or weather apps as they do not provide an accurate reading for your specific venue." And explicitly: "Phone apps are not scientifically approved at this time."

App and web estimates — including this site — are NOT accepted for SCHSL compliance. Plan tomorrow's schedule here; run today's practice off your calibrated on-site meter.

Activity guidelines by WBGT (°F)

WBGT (°F)Required modifications
GREEN Under 82.0
  • Normal activities.
  • At least 3 separate rest breaks each hour, minimum 3 min each.
YELLOW 82.0-86.9
  • Use discretion for intense or prolonged exercise; watch at-risk participants closely.
  • At least 3 separate rest breaks each hour, minimum 4 min each.
  • Mandatory on-site rapid cooling zone (tub or tarp).
ORANGE 87.0-89.9
  • Maximum practice time: 120 min.
  • At least 4 separate rest breaks each hour, minimum 4 min each.
  • Football: helmet, shoulder pads and shorts only.
  • Mandatory on-site rapid cooling zone (tub or tarp).
RED 90.0-92.0
  • Maximum practice time: 60 min.
  • At least 20 min of rest breaks distributed through each hour.
  • Football: no protective equipment.
  • No conditioning activities.
  • Mandatory on-site rapid cooling zone (tub or tarp).
BLACK Over 92.1
  • No outdoor workouts. Delay practice until a cooler WBGT is reached.

One wrinkle in the source: the table prints the top band as "Over 92.1" while the text elsewhere says "at 92.1 or above". This site resolves that gap upward — the hotter category — so a reading in between is treated as the black flag.

Measurement rules

Readings are taken directly on the playing surface 30 minutes before activity and every 30 minutes after.

The range-hold rule is unusual and worth knowing: once a reading has stayed in a range for 15 minutes, that range's restrictions lock in and cannot be relaxed to a lower range. Time already spent does not carry over into a new category.

WBGT devices must be recalibrated every 2 years, or sooner if the manufacturer says so.

Cold immersion has its own trigger: from WBGT 82 upward, a cold immersion tub or equivalent water-based cooling must be immediately available — supplies ready to use, not merely owned.

The red band has a sentence cross-country coaches should read twice: "Competitions involving high intensity effort, in which breaks are not possible (e.g. Cross Country meets), should be delayed until WBGT reading is below 90 or canceled." If your event cannot take the prescribed breaks, the remedy is delay or cancellation, not shorter breaks.

All thresholds and modification text above derive from the SCHSL Heat and Acclimatization Guidelines, cross-checked on 2026-08-09. SCHSL Heat and Acclimatization Guidelines (Updated April 2024)

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