Texas schools have spent two years learning how to use UIL WBGT guidelines to manage outdoor practices. Now, that recommendation is becoming a requirement.
The University Interscholastic League (UIL) voted its wet bulb globe temperature standard to take effect August 1, giving athletic departments a handful of weeks to determine how they will measure WBGT, communicate changing conditions, modify practices, and maintain the required records before fall activities begin.
To help schools understand what the policy dictates and how to put it into practice, Perry Weather brought together Temple ISD Athletic Director Steve Prentiss, ATC, LAT; Cy Lakes High School Head Athletic Trainer Heather Smith, and Perry Weather Director of Science David Martin, PhD. They discussed the science behind the shift to WBGT, what monitoring looks like during a busy practice, and how schools can protect athletes without giving up more practice time than conditions require.
What Texas Schools Need to Do Ahead of the Deadline
In preparation for the fall season, schools should have processes in place to meet the UIL WBGT activity guidelines. Modifications to activities guidelines are directly tied to WBGT readings. In practice, this look like:
Source: UIL Heat Stress & Athletic Participation Recommended Plan — based on American College of Sports Medicine guidelines.
Beyond the threshold numbers, UIL specifies how monitoring must be conducted:
- WBGT must be read within 15 minutes before the start of practice
- If using a portable WBGT instrument, it must be set up 30 minutes before practice begins
- Readings must be taken every 30 minutes throughout the practice window
- The same person should take all readings during a given practice for consistency
- Schools should document and keep on file the WBGT readings associated with each outdoor practice
Conditions can move from one zone to another while athletes are already on the field. Schools therefore need a process for continuing to monitor WBGT, recognizing when a threshold has been crossed, and getting the corresponding instructions to coaches quickly enough for practice to change.
“For every two percent body weight lost or dehydrated you are, we see a ten percent drop in aerobic performance. So the more that they’re going to be able to rest and hydrate, they’re going to be able to train at a higher level, which is going to then produce better athletes.”
— Dr. David Martin, Director of Science, Perry Weather
The full breakdown of UIL WBGT requirements
Read about the updated guidelines, the implementation timeline and how it will affect your school.
Why the UIL Chose WBGT to Protect Students
Most athletic programs recognize heat index. However, it was designed for someone walking in the shade in light clothing, not football two-a-days, marching band, or soccer conditioning in direct sun.
WBGT better reflects those conditions because it accounts for air temperature, humidity, wind speed, and radiant heat.
“Wet bulb globe temperature is designed specifically to measure how much of that environment is working against your ability to shed that heat into the environment.”
— Dr. David Martin, Director of Science, Perry Weather
At the University of Georgia, Dr. Andrew Grundstein mapped exertional heat stroke deaths among youth, high school, and collegiate athletes to the WBGT conditions present at each incident. That research helped shape Georgia’s WBGT-based activity guidelines. After implementation, exertional heat illness rates fell 30% to 100% across heat-risk categories.
Texas is applying a similar approach after two years of using WBGT guidelines across the state.
Monitoring WBGT With An On-Site Perry Weather Station
With the UIL WBGT requirement in place, many schools will likely need to reevaluate their WBGT reading equipment. The broader consideration is whether the process around that equipment can support day-to-day operations.
A workable system needs to measure conditions on-site, continue monitoring as they change, alert the right people, connect the threshold to the required action, and create a record without adding another manual burden.
A Perry Weather station measures WBGT continuously at the school rather than relying on a regional estimate or requiring someone to retrieve each reading by hand. When conditions cross a configured threshold, athletic trainers, coaches, and administrators can receive the same alert at the same time. The reading is also timestamped and logged automatically.
Automating WBGT Communication Across Staff
A WBGT reading only supports a safer practice when the information reaches the people responsible for making adjustments. With a handheld device, someone must check the reading, determine the applicable activity zone, and communicate the change to each coach. That process can become difficult to manage when several teams, fields, or campuses are active at the same time.
Perry Weather makes the same on-site WBGT reading available to athletic trainers, coaches, and administrators. When conditions change, staff can receive alerts from the system rather than relying on one person to relay each update.
“With Perry Weather, you’re able to sit there and monitor at your desk what the reading is outside. If you have two athletic trainers, you’re getting the exact same data…there’s no interpretation needed.”
— Heather Smith, Head Athletic Trainer, Cy Lakes High School
When a change in conditions affects more than one field or group, Perry Weather allows schools to determine which coaches, athletic trainers, and administrators receive alerts for each location. The people responsible for making a change can see the update directly rather than waiting for one person to relay it across campus.
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WBGT monitoring with peace-of-mind built in.
Meeting the UIL WBGT requirement starts with an accurate, on-site WBGT reading. But the broader strategy is to help schools protect athletes while keeping practices organized and productive.
“Our goal wasn’t for you not to practice. It was to continue to find ways to keep our kids safe and show that we could work through these zones and get the practice time that the coach needed.”
— Steve Prentiss, Athletic Director, Temple ISD
Beyond heat, Perry Weather already supports more than 700 schools across Texas to make weather decisions that affect outdoor athletics. Forecasts can help staff prepare alternate plans ahead of practice, while the on-site reading remains the source of truth once activity begins. Public-facing weather widgets can help schools communicate delays and return-to-play updates with parents, staff, and spectators. Schools can also contact Perry Weather meteorologists for additional guidance when lightning or severe weather decisions are less clear.
For schools preparing for the new standard, the goal is not simply to check the compliance box before August 1. It is to put a process in place that continues to work when staff are busy, multiple teams are outside, and conditions change without warning.
Questions & answers
Does every campus and field need its own WBGT reading, or can we use one from a nearby site?
UIL’s guidance doesn’t explicitly require a station in every field. We recommend an on-site reading at each location, because WBGT can vary across even a few miles depending on surroundings, sun, and wind. Using a nearby campus reading is allowed and better than nothing, but the further away the station, the less it reflects your actual field. Perry Weather stations are scalable, so many districts that we work with typically run one at each campus.
How accurate is WBGT forecasting, and how should we use it?
For any forecasting provider, it is recommended to use it for planning, not for the final call. A forecast helps you anticipate which practices may need to move or be modified. Most forecasting providers are projecting WBGT values using weather data from distant public weather stations, not data from your exact field, and conditions can shift on a dime. For safety decisions, rely on the live on-site reading.
Perry Weather forecasting for WBGT and tells you what times you are likely to hit certain WBGT zones. Plus, 24/7 meteorologist support is available for weather calls that are harder to make.
Do we have to record WBGT year-round through the summer, and will UIL require us to report our readings?
UIL’s guidance is to document readings for all practices, which includes the Summer practices beginning August 1st of 2026. Competitions are exempt from some of the requirements.
Available guidance does not require that readings be submitted to the UIL; the expectation is that you keep your own records, available for a review or an incident. That’s what protects your program if a student experiences heat illness.
How does Perry Weather record and document readings for us?
Yes, on-site weather stations automatically log a timestamped WBGT reading every 15 minutes, with no manual logs and no one needing to remember to take a reading every 30 minutes. From the dashboard you can pull historical reports for any date range, see time spent in each heat zone, and export to CSV for documentation or audits.
What are the options for a small district with no athletic trainer and a tight budget?
UIL doesn’t include a budget provision, but its guidance does accept a validated internet-based app, so a district without hardware can start there, paired with a written policy and an emergency action plan.
The tradeoff is that a forecast won’t reflect your exact field and won’t document or alert on its own, so the manual work falls on whoever is on site. Perry Weather is built to scale, so you can start small and add campuses over time.
What cooling equipment does UIL require, and how do immersion tubs fit in?
UIL requires an emergency action plan with a way to cool an athlete rapidly on-site, and cold-water immersion is the gold standard for exertional heat stroke. So if you have tubs, you’re set on the part that matters most.
The TACO method is also acceptable. In this method, you treat your athlete by laying them in a tarp and laying their body in ice and cold water, and moving the tarp to circulate water against the surface of the skin. (Confirm the exact cooling-zone trigger threshold against current UIL guidance, since it’s tied to specific WBGT levels for your class.)
How should evening game times and younger athletes factor in?
UIL doesn’t explicitly require moving game times. However, it is important to take into account the risk. Start time drives sun exposure, a major WBGT input, so earlier evening games sit in hotter conditions than later ones.
The UIL does not require that games be halted or shortened due to high WGBT, but best practice is to be ready to push starts back, add breaks, and stage cooling (fans, misters, hydration, ice towels, immersion) for the early games with high WBGT.
UIL does explicitly recommend lower thresholds for younger athletes. However, many districts move middle school practices to the morning to avoid afternoon heat and storms.
