Texas UIL WBGT Rules

Starting 2026-08-01, WBGT-based activity modification is a required standard for all UIL outdoor athletic activities — and marching band. Here is the policy in plain terms, with every number taken from UIL's published chart.

2026-27: from recommendation to requirement

UIL's own sentence: "Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, the use of Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) to monitor environmental conditions and guide activity modifications is no longer a recommendation, but a required standard for all UIL outdoor athletic and marching band activities." Marching band is named in the requirement itself, not implied.

Read the plan's verbs closely, because they change: the pre-practice reading must be taken within 15 minutes, while readings during practice should be taken every 30 minutes — and keeping a written record is only recommended: "It is recommended that schools record and keep on file the WBGT temperatures associated for outside practices." A written log is still the cheapest way to show you followed the cadence.

Class 2 vs Class 3

UIL assigns each county to a WBGT class on its regional map; hotter regions get higher (more permissive) thresholds because athletes there are more heat-acclimatized. Most of eastern and central Texas — including the Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio areas — falls under Class 3, while the Panhandle and far West Texas use Class 2. Find your county on the UIL map and select that class; this site defaults to the stricter Class 2 until you choose.

Activity guidelines by WBGT (°F)

Class 2

WBGT (°F)	Required modifications
GREEN <79.7	Normal activities. At least 3 separate rest breaks each hour, minimum 3 min each.
YELLOW 79.7 - 84.6	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 84.7 - 87.6	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 87.7 - 89.7	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 ≥89.8	No outdoor workouts. Delay practice until a cooler WBGT is reached.

Class 3

WBGT (°F)	Required modifications
GREEN < 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 - 90.0	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 90.1 - 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 ≥92.1	No outdoor workouts. Delay practice until a cooler WBGT is reached.

Measurement rules

UIL: read WBGT within 15 min before practice, then every 30 min during.

UIL accepts internet-based readings: the plan permits a scientifically approved WBGT instrument "or other scientifically proven method, such as an internet-based weather station software or application." That makes forecast tools legitimate planning aids in Texas — but the reading that governs is the one taken at practice time.

The plan does not treat the internet lane as a workaround. It gives that lane its own instructions, at the same cadence as a physical meter: "If utilizing an internet-based application, the WBGT should also be checked within 15 minutes prior to practice. In both cases, WBGT readings should be taken every 30 minutes during practice."

The activity chart governs practices. For competitions, a rapid cooling zone must still be on site and available at all times above threshold temperatures.

Marching band is covered: the UIL requirement applies to outdoor rehearsals, not just athletics.

Can this site be your official reading?

The plan's requirement sentence names both lanes: "It is required that schools utilize a scientifically approved instrument that measures Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) or other scientifically proven method, such as an internet-based weather station software or application, to monitor the wet bulb globe temperature." The FAQ says it even more directly: "Schools may utilize a scientifically approved on-site instrument or an approved internet-based WBGT forecasting resource."

What neither document provides: a definition of "approved" or a published list of approved internet resources. Whether a given forecast tool satisfies the standard is therefore your district's call — confirm with your district or athletic trainer before relying on any internet resource, this one included, as the official reading.

One concrete signal about what UIL has in mind: the plan page links exactly one internet-based WBGT tool by name, the UNC Convergence WBGT tool, and no other. That is a link, not an approval — but it is the only worked example the plan itself points at. https://convergence.unc.edu/tools/wbgt/

UIL 2026-2027 Heat Stress FAQ (verified 2026-08-09)

All thresholds and modification text above derive from the UIL Heat Stress & Athletic Participation plan and its WBGT Activity Guidelines chart, cross-checked on 2026-08-09. UIL Heat Stress & Athletic Participation — WBGT chart as linked from the 2026-27 plan page (file 25-26WBGTChart.png)

wbgtcheck.com is an independent tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the UIL, GHSA, NFHS, NATA, or any state athletic association.

Associations revise these rules — if this page cites an edition that has been superseded, we want to know. Report a correction