WBGT Heat Index — Athletics Guidance
The table below presents safe activity guidance by WBGT reading.
| WBGT reading | Guidance for Athletics |
|---|---|
| < 82.0 °F | Normal activities. Provide at least three separate rest breaks each hour, with a minimum duration of three minutes each during the workout. |
| 82.2–86.9 °F | Use discretion for intense or prolonged exercise. Provide at least three separate rest breaks each hour, with a minimum duration of four minutes each. |
| 87.1–90.0 °F | Maximum outdoor practice time is two hours. Provide at least four separate rest breaks each hour, with a minimum duration of four minutes each. For football/field hockey: players are restricted to helmet, shoulder pads, and shorts during practice. If the WBGT rises to this level during practice, players may continue to work out wearing full pads without changing to shorts. |
| 90.1–91.9 °F | Contests permitted with additional hydration breaks. Maximum outdoor practice time is one hour. No protective equipment may be worn during practice, and there may be no conditioning activities. Provide twenty minutes of rest breaks distributed throughout the hour of practice. |
| ≥ 92.1 °F | No outdoor workouts or contests. Delay practice/competitions until a cooler WBGT is reached. |
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Sensitive groups: Heat combined with air pollution, and sometimes heat alone, can worsen asthma and trigger attacks. Symptoms may include coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing, and chest tightness. Even students without asthma could experience these symptoms. If symptoms occur, the student might need to take a break, do a less intense activity, stop all activity, go indoors, or use quick-relief medicine as prescribed. If symptoms don’t improve, seek medical help. |
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