The UIL WBGT Activity Chart Explained

July 24, 2026 Jackie Fitzpatrick Comments

What Each Flag Level Means for Football, Band, Cross Country, and Every Other Outdoor Program

Quick answer: The UIL uses five WBGT flag levels — Green, Yellow, Orange, Red, and Black — each with specific practice duration limits, rest break requirements, and equipment restrictions. Thresholds differ by class: Class 2 schools (West Texas/Panhandle) start modifications at 79.7 degrees F; Class 3 schools (all other Texas regions) start at 82.0 degrees F.

The UIL WBGT activity chart is the operational core of the 2026-27 heat stress mandate. Every decision a coach makes about practice length, rest breaks, equipment, and conditioning on a hot August afternoon flows from one number: the current Wet Bulb Globe Temperature.

This breakdown explains what each flag level requires, why those requirements exist physiologically, and what they look like in practice for different sports and activities.

How the Chart Works

The UIL divides Texas schools into two geographic classes — Class 2 for West Texas and the Panhandle, Class 3 for all other regions. Each class has the same five flag levels but different WBGT thresholds that trigger them, reflecting the different humidity profiles of each region.

The chart below shows the full protocol. After the table, we break down each level in detail.

Flag	Class 2 WBGT	Class 3 WBGT	Practice Requirements
Green	< 79.7°F / 26.5°C	< 82.0°F / 27.7°C	Normal activities. 3+ rest breaks/hour, min 3 min each.
Yellow	79.7-84.6°F / 26.6-29.2°C	82.0-86.9°F / 27.7-30.5°C	Use discretion for intense/prolonged activity. 3+ rest breaks/hour, min 4 min each. Cooling zone required.
Orange	84.7-87.6°F / 29.3-30.9°C	87.0-90.0°F / 30.5-32.2°C	Max 2 hours of outdoor practice. 4+ rest breaks/hour, min 4 min each. Football/Field Hockey: helmet, shoulder pads & shorts only.
Red	87.7-89.7°F / 31.0-32.0°C	90.1-92.0°F / 32.3-33.3°C	Max 1 hour practice. No protective equipment. No conditioning. 20+ min of rest breaks distributed throughout.
Black	>= 89.8°F / >= 32.1°C	>= 92.1°F / >= 33.3°C	No outdoor workouts or contests. Delay until WBGT drops.

Source: UIL Heat Stress & Athletic Participation Recommended Plan, based on ACSM guidelines.

Green Flag: Normal Activities

Class 2: WBGT below 79.7°F | Class 3: WBGT below 82.0°F

Green means conditions are within a manageable range for healthy, acclimatized athletes. Full practice is permitted, all equipment is allowed, and conditioning activities are unrestricted.

Required: At least three separate rest breaks per hour, each a minimum of 3 minutes. Rest breaks must focus on rehydration and cooling — no activity during breaks. Coaches must provide unlimited access to water.

Even in Green, hydration matters. Texas heat in August rarely produces what most would call comfortable conditions. Green is a relative designation — WBGT of 78°F with 70% humidity is still taxing. Rest breaks are not optional, even at the lowest flag level.

What this looks like in practice: Standard two-a-day structure, full equipment, full conditioning. Brief water breaks on a schedule — about every 15-20 minutes. Normal warm-up and cool-down routines.

Yellow Flag: Use Discretion

Class 2: WBGT 79.7-84.6°F | Class 3: WBGT 82.0-86.9°F

Yellow is the first level at which the UIL calls for active judgment by coaches and athletic trainers. The word the guidelines use is "discretion," meaning that intense or prolonged exercise should be evaluated against current conditions and the athlete's acclimatization status.

Required: At least three rest breaks per hour, each a minimum of 4 minutes (one minute longer than Green). A cooling zone must be available and accessible on-site.

What discretion means in practice: Yellow is not a hard stop on conditioning — but it is a signal to back off the highest-intensity work. High-volume sprint intervals, heavy conditioning drills, and long unbroken conditioning runs should be scaled back or restructured with more recovery time built in. Athletes who are newer to the heat, have recently been ill, or show early signs of heat stress should be pulled from high-intensity activity immediately.

What this looks like in practice: Full equipment is still permitted. Reduce or eliminate pure conditioning segments. Increase rest structure. Move the most demanding drills to the cooler parts of the session if the window exists.

Cooling zone requirement: At Yellow and above, a designated cooling zone must be operational and accessible. This means cold-water immersion capability is on-site and ready, not in a trailer across campus.

Orange Flag: Restricted Practice

Class 2: WBGT 84.7-87.6°F | Class 3: WBGT 87.0-90.0°F

Orange is where the UIL imposes hard limits on practice length and structure. The physiological logic is straightforward: at these WBGT levels, the body's core temperature climbs meaningfully over the course of a practice, and the accumulation of heat stress over two or more hours creates significant exertional heat stroke risk.

Required: Maximum 2 hours of outdoor practice. At least four rest breaks per hour, each a minimum of 4 minutes. Football and field hockey: players restricted to helmet, shoulder pads, and shorts — no additional padding.

The equipment restriction explained: Full pads dramatically reduce the body's surface area available for evaporative cooling. At Orange WBGT levels, full pads shift heat stress from manageable to dangerous for many athletes. The helmet, shoulder pads, and shorts configuration maintains player safety while allowing practice to continue.

What this looks like in practice: A structured 2-hour window. Maximum of 4 rest breaks within each hour, each at least 4 minutes of true rest — athletes seated, hydrating, not standing in formation or jogging. Conditioning work was significantly reduced or eliminated. For football, equipment check before athletes take the field.

Planning tip: If afternoon WBGT is consistently in Orange during two-a-days, consider shifting the second session to early morning — which in most Texas regions means WBGT starts in Green or Yellow and stays manageable throughout.

Red Flag: Severely Restricted

Class 2: WBGT 87.7-89.7°F | Class 3: WBGT 90.1-92.0°F

Red is a serious heat warning. At these levels, the risk of exertional heat stroke for healthy, fit athletes is meaningful, and the margin for error is small. The UIL protocol reflects that with strict hard limits.

Required: Maximum 1 hour of outdoor activity. No protective equipment of any kind. No conditioning activities. At least 20 minutes of rest breaks distributed across the one-hour window — meaning for every hour outside, athletes are resting for at least one-third of the time.

What 'no conditioning' means: Position work, walk-through drills, film review setup, and technique work without full-speed exertion are permitted. Sprint work, agility ladders, conditioning runs, and any drill designed to elevate heart rate and core temperature are not.

What this looks like in practice:

Many programs use Red days for film sessions, classroom installation, individual meetings, and very light walk-through work before pulling athletes off the field entirely.

Black Flag: No Outdoor Activity

Class 2: WBGT 89.8°F or above | Class 3: WBGT 92.1°F or above

Black is a full outdoor suspension. No outdoor workouts, no contests, no exceptions. The UIL protocol at this level is unambiguous: delay or move practice until WBGT drops to a lower flag level.

What 'delay until WBGT drops' means in practice: Monitor WBGT every 30 minutes. If the reading drops into Red-1 territory, you may resume outdoor activity under those constraints. Many programs move indoors entirely on Black Flag days rather than waiting for conditions to improve.

Black flag conditions are rare in most Texas regions but not unheard of — particularly during a peak August heat wave in South Texas or during early afternoon in high-humidity regions. Having an indoor contingency plan for Black Flag days is a standard part of August athletic preparation.

Competitions vs. Practices

The UIL activity chart applies directly to practices and conditioning sessions. For competitions, the UIL strongly recommends — but does not mandate — WBGT monitoring and protocol adjustments. Best practices for game days include:

WBGT monitoring before and during games, with a cooling zone available at WBGT 80°F or above.
Adjusting start times when possible to the coolest available window.
Extended warm-up access to air conditioning until close to kickoff or tip-off.
Unlimited water access for all players throughout the contest.
Longer halftime or additional cooling breaks for middle school events when both schools agree.

Frequently Asked Questions

What counts as a 'rest break' under the UIL guidelines?

A compliant rest break is a period of complete inactivity — athletes seated or stationary, hydrating, cooling. Jogging to the sideline, standing in a line waiting for a water bottle, or walking to the next drill station does not count as a rest break. The UIL specifies rest and rehydration, not transition time.

Can I exceed the maximum practice time if WBGT drops mid-practice?

If you are monitoring every 30 minutes and WBGT drops from Orange to Yellow mid-practice, you may adjust to the Yellow protocol going forward. However, the time already practiced at Orange still counts toward any time limits. Keep clean logs of when each flag level was applied and when protocol changes were made.

Does the chart apply to weight room conditioning?

The UIL heat stress requirements apply to outdoor activities. Indoor weight room and conditioning sessions are not covered under the outdoor WBGT protocol, though general heat illness awareness applies in poorly ventilated or un-air-conditioned facilities.

How does the Kestrel 5400 help coaches apply the chart?

The Kestrel 5400 comes pre-programmed with the ACSM athletic thresholds that the UIL adopted. Its audible buzzer, LED beacon, and on-screen flag warning alert your staff the moment a threshold is crossed — no manual chart-checking required mid-practice. Set your class threshold, mount it on the tripod, and the Kestrel tells you when the level changes.