Welcome to the Kansas State Weather Policy Guide, a handy resource for understanding the Kansas State High School Activities Association’s (KSHSAA) weather policies and recommended guidelines for high school athletics. We’ve made it simple: here’s the key information you need.
KSHSAA’s heat policy sets specific equipment and protocol requirements for any warm-weather practice. A cooling area must be established and available any time ambient air temperature reaches 80°F or above — before conditions become dangerous.
To keep students, youth and athletes safe, the following are required:
KSHSAA Handbook Rules 30-1-8 and 35-1-1 govern preseason heat acclimatization for all fall sports. Warm-up, stretching, conditioning, and weight-room activities all count toward practice time.
Phase 1 · Days 1–5
Phase 2 · Days 6+
Source: KSHSAA Rules 30-1-8 & 35-1-1; SMAC Heat Policy, Updated April 2025 ↗
Meeting AAA heat stress requirements starts with accurate data. Perry Weather’s on-site WBGT and Heat Index monitoring tracks conditions continuously, so your staff always has the information they need to make the right call.
Your heat stress policy is only as good as your ability to communicate it in the moment. Perry Weather gives your staff the AAA policy framework, real-time alerts, and forecasting they need to make confident decisions all season long.
Perry Weather automatically logs every WBGT reading so you always have a complete picture of heat conditions across every practice, every session, all year long.
Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) is a heat-stress index used to assess the risk of heat illness during outdoor and indoor activities. Unlike standard air temperature, WBGT incorporates the combined effects of air temperature, humidity, radiant heat (such as sunlight), and air movement to better estimate the environmental heat load on the human body.
While both are used to evaluate hot-weather conditions, the Heat Index only combines temperature and humidity. WBGT considers additional environmental factors that can affect heat stress, making it a preferred tool for sports, outdoor work, military training, and other activities where heat safety is a concern.
Read more about the differences between WBGT and the heat index here.
Monitoring WBGT is essential for protecting athletes’ health and safety during outdoor practices, games, and events.
A higher WBGT reading leads to a greater risk of heat-related illnesses like heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and muscle cramps.
Heat acclimatization is your body’s natural process of adapting to hot weather.
By gradually increasing your activity level and time spent in the heat over 1–2 weeks, your body becomes better at staying cool and handling hot conditions.
This helps reduce the risk of heat-related illness and can improve comfort and performance in the heat.
Heat illness is a range of conditions that occur when the body can’t cool itself fast enough, from heat cramps and heat exhaustion to the most severe form, exertional heat stroke. It’s one of the leading causes of preventable death in high school athletes.
Classic heat illness is caused by environmental conditions such as high temperatures, humidity, direct sun, and low wind, all things that WBGT take in to account.
Heat Illness is typically preceded by Heat Stress – the strain placed on the body when it works to maintain a safe core temperature in hot conditions. Warning signs may be elevated heart rate, heavy sweating, and fatigue
Exertional heat stroke is the most severe form of heat illness and a medical emergency. It occurs when the body’s core temperature rises above 104°F due to intense physical activity.
Unlike classic heat stroke, which is driven purely by environmental conditions, exertional heat stroke is triggered by the body generating more internal heat than it can release during strenuous exercise.
Heat stroke prevention is often tied to real-time WBGT monitoring because it gives athletic trainers the data they need to modify activity before conditions become dangerous.
WBGT can be measured with a handheld device or a stationary on-site sensor. Handheld devices are portable but prone to shadows, calibration drift, and human error, and someone has to remember to take readings manually.
The gold standard is a stationary sensor with a 3.5″ black bulb, which automatically captures continuous readings and more accurately reflects the radiant heat your athletes are actually experiencing. For programs required to monitor WBGT at every practice, it eliminates the compliance risk that comes with manual methods.
The Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) has outlined several lightning safety guidelines and criteria for the suspension of play and planning and monitoring activities to safeguard staff and patrons from the dangers of lightning:
Anytime lightning can be seen or thunder can be heard, risk is present.
When thunder is heard or cloud-to-ground lightning is seen, the leading edge of the thunderstorm is close enough to pose a lightning risk. Suspend play and take shelter immediately.
Once play has been suspended, wait at least 30 minutes after the last thunder is heard or flash of lightning is witnessed prior to resuming play.
Any subsequent thunder or lightning after the beginning of the 30 minute count, the clock should be reset and another 30 minute count should begin.
Lightning detection devices or mobile phone apps can be used to assist in making decisions to suspend play if lightning is within 10 miles of the location.
Hearing thunder or seeing lightning should always take precedence over mobile apps or lightning detection devices.
The Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) also outlines several lightning safety recommendations to protect staff and patrons:
A documented plan for handling severe weather situations such as lightning should be in place.
Each school must decide the best way to monitor weather, but hearing thunder or seeing lightning should always take precedence in decision making over information obtained from other sources.
Identify a designated individual, not involved in coaching or officiating, to monitor weather conditions and suspend activities when necessary.
All personnel, athletes, and spectators should be clearly informed in advance of available safe structures or shelters in the event of severe weather.
The most ideal safe structure is a fully enclosed building with plumbing, electrical wiring, and phone service which aid in grounding the structure.
Perry Weather’s lightning detection and alerts system gives you clear, actionable instructions aligned with your lightning safety policies.
We’ll notify you as soon as lightning is detected with automated alerts. We guide you through immediate actions, keeping your athletes safe and practices on track.
Automatic alerts and real-time data for informed decision-making during critical weather events.
Know exactly when it’s safe to step out after a lightning strike with Perry Weather’s lightning countdown timers.
When a lightning strike is detected nearby, Perry Weather initiates a countdown until given the all-clear and resuming outdoor activities.
The timer resets with each subsequent strike, ensuring adherence to lightning safety protocols before resuming activities
Stay a step ahead with advanced radar and predictive lightning risk management for confident event planning and adaptive scheduling.
Get custom PA alerts and audible alarms with our lightning warning system.
Instantly broadcast alerts and safety messages automatically across your campus – no matter the weather conditions.
Strobe lights, loud alarms, and text-to-speech make sure you won’t miss lightning alerts.
It works even during power outages, ensuring continuous safety without needing a direct power source.
A safe shelter is any frequently inhabited building with four solid walls (not a dugout), electrical and telephone wiring, and plumbing, which aid in grounding the structure.
Yes. Lightning victims do not carry a residual electrical charge. However, prioritize checking for injuries and call emergency services immediately.
Responsibilities may vary, but typically coaches, athletic trainers, and officials share the responsibility for monitoring weather conditions and enforcing safety procedures.
Some policies allow for designated “safe havens” under sturdy structures like bleachers (away from metal supports) or inside enclosed vehicles with the windows rolled up. However, this is a last resort.
Watch how schools across the country are using Perry Weather to comply with state weather policies and keep their campuses safe.
