A WBGT reading only helps if you know what to do at it. In Texas, the answer is not one chart. It depends on which of two zone classes your campus falls in, and the modifications get stricter as the number climbs, from added rest all the way up to stopping outdoor activity.
At a WBGT of 79.7°F in Class 2, or 82°F in Class 3, and above, a rapid cooling zone with cold-water immersion is required on site. That applies to practices and to games.
Texas is split into UIL Class 2 and UIL Class 3 heat regions, and the two use different breakpoints because the same reading carries different risk in different parts of the state. Your class is set by where your campus sits geographically, not by your conference or your enrollment size.
To find yours, use the UIL-referenced UNC WBGT forecasting tool. Enter your exact practice or contest location, select the Texas UIL Class 2 or Class 3 preset, and it returns the forecast and the activity guidance for that site. Cooler regions generally fall in Class 2 and hotter regions in Class 3, but confirm by location rather than assume.
The UIL chart follows the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines, escalating from normal activity to full suspension. Here are the exact bands for both classes and what each one requires.
| WBGT, Class 2 | WBGT, Class 3 | Required response |
|---|---|---|
| Below 79.7°F (below 26.5°C) |
Below 82.0°F (below 27.7°C) |
Normal activity. At least three rest breaks each hour, three minutes each. |
| 79.7 to 84.6°F (26.6 to 29.2°C) |
82.0 to 86.9°F (27.7 to 30.5°C) |
Use discretion for intense or prolonged exercise. At least three breaks each hour, four minutes each. |
| 84.7 to 87.6°F (29.3 to 30.9°C) |
87.0 to 90.0°F (30.5 to 32.2°C) |
Max two hours of outdoor practice. At least four breaks each hour, four minutes each. Football and field hockey limited to helmet, shoulder pads, and shorts. |
| 87.7 to 89.7°F (31.0 to 32.0°C) |
90.1 to 92.0°F (32.3 to 33.3°C) |
Max one hour of outdoor practice. No protective equipment, no conditioning. Twenty minutes of rest distributed through the hour. |
| 89.8°F and above (32.1°C and above) |
92.1°F and above (33.3°C and above) |
No outdoor workouts or contests. Delay until the WBGT drops to a safer level. |
A rapid cooling zone with cold-water immersion is required at the second band and above, that is, at the 79.7°F (Class 2) or 82°F (Class 3) trigger and higher. You will sometimes see this rounded to 80°F, but the precise, class-specific trigger is what the UIL plan states.
It is worth keeping these straight. The pieces written as requirements are the emergency action plan with onsite cold-water immersion, the rapid cooling zones at the trigger, unrestricted access to water at all times, and rest breaks with unlimited hydration. The work-to-rest modifications in the table are the ACSM-based activity guidelines tied to the monitoring the UIL voted to require for 2026-27. Treat the chart as the standard you modify practice against, and the cooling and hydration items as the hard requirements behind it.
Because the modifications change as the reading moves between bands, a single reading at the start is not enough. The reading has to keep pace with the afternoon.
The practice work-to-rest limits do not formally apply to UIL competitions. The cooling-zone requirement does. Any contest at the trigger or above must have a rapid cooling zone available, and schools are advised to monitor conditions and consider modifications: adjusted start times, access to air-conditioned spaces before warmups, added cooling breaks, longer halftimes, misters and shade, unlimited cool water with no energy drinks, and shorter quarters for middle school games when both schools agree.
Weatherstem already operates stations across Texas, including at the University of Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Motor Speedway, and more than 900 nationwide. An on-site station reads WBGT continuously at your exact location, logs every reading automatically for the keep-on-file requirement, and alerts staff the moment a reading crosses into the next band, so the modification happens on the data rather than on memory.
It depends on your campus location, not your conference or enrollment. Use the UNC WBGT tool, enter your exact site, and select the Texas UIL Class 2 or Class 3 preset.
At 79.7°F or higher in Class 2, or 82°F or higher in Class 3, for practices, contests, workouts, and conditioning.
The practice work-to-rest limits do not formally apply to competitions, but a cooling zone is required at the same trigger, and schools are advised to monitor and modify games in high heat.
Set up 30 minutes before, read within 15 minutes of the start, then every 30 minutes during practice, by the same person when possible, recorded and kept on file.
For the full requirement, read the Texas UIL WBGT mandate guide, start with what WBGT is and why it replaced the heat index, or see where every state stands on the heat mandate tracker.
Weatherstem is not affiliated with or sponsored by the University Interscholastic League. References to the UIL are for informational purposes only.