Welcome to the Tennessee Weather Policy Guide, a handy resource for understanding the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) weather policies for athletics. We’ve streamlined the details so you get the information you need.
TSSAA’s Heat Policy, Football Practice Regulations, and Tennessee state law set specific requirements and expectations for outdoor athletic activity.
To keep students, youth, and athletes safe, here’s what applies:
Single-practice days only (school-vs-school 7v7 doesn’t count as a practice). If a school practices, helmets are the only equipment permitted.
Single-practice days only. Teams that practice outside in helmets only on Thursday/Friday or Friday/Saturday of Week 2 may count those two days toward heat acclimatization; attendance must be documented.
Single-practice days only. If two acclimatization days were documented in Week 2: three days in helmets and shoulder pads only (no pants or tights below the knee), with the other two days helmets only. If not documented: Days 1–2 are helmets only, Days 3–5 are helmets and shoulder pads only (no pants or tights below the knee).
Full padded practice may start once a player has completed 2 days of helmets-only and 3 days of helmets-and-shoulder-pads. Practices are capped at 3 hours; double-practice days are allowed but not on consecutive days; only one session per day may include full contact; total time on double-practice days is capped at 5 hours with at least 3 hours of rest between sessions; one walk-through is permitted on single-practice days, separated from practice by at least 3 hours of rest.
Full contact is capped at 3 practices per week, no more than 30 minutes per day per group, and never on 3 consecutive days. Players are capped at 8 quarters per week on offense/defense combined (special teams excluded).
12 practice days are permitted within a 15-consecutive-school-day window; the first 2 days must be helmets only. Full contact is capped at 45 minutes per day per group and 135 minutes per week per group, and never on 3 consecutive days. One scrimmage is permitted, counted as one of the 12 practice days.
Meeting TSSAA 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 TSSAA 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 Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association has outlined lightning safety guidelines for the suspension of play and planning and monitoring activities:
Coaches, athletic trainers, athletes, administrators and contest officials shall be educated regarding the signs indicating thunderstorm development.
Be aware of potential thunderstorms by monitoring local weather forecasts the day before and the morning of the competition, and by scanning the sky for signs of potential thunderstorm activity.
Develop an evacuation plan, including identification of appropriate nearby safer areas and determine the amount of time needed to get everyone to a designated safer area.
If lightning is imminent or a thunderstorm is approaching unless under the night atmospheric conditions previously explained, all personnel, athletes and spectators shall evacuate to available safe structures or shelters.
Competition or practice shall be suspended once lightning has been recognized or thunder is heard.
It is required to wait at least 30 minutes after the last flash of lightning is witnessed or thunder is heard prior to resuming practice or competition.
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.
