Alabama school sports heat policy
AHSAA calls its practice changes in the heat “mandated”, and prefers its WBGT chart, with a heat-index table for when WBGT is not available. How to read these labels
- Association
- AHSAA (Alabama High School Athletic Association)
- Label
- Required: WBGT or heat index
- Reading it uses
- WBGT or heat index
- Statewide table
- Yes, shown below
- Last checked
- September 30, 2026
What AHSAA’s document says
The policy cited below is written as a requirement.
AHSAA’s document prints two activity tables. The first is its heat-index table, introduced by “The AHSAA mandated activity modifications for practice in a hot environment are as follows”. The second is its WBGT chart, introduced by “If the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature method is available (preferred) then the following chart should be used to adjust work-rest ratios”. This card shows that WBGT chart, AHSAA’s own numbers rather than a regional model. If your school works from the heat-index table, the readings here will not line up with it. AHSAA’s chart leaves one reading in no band (82.2 °F); this card shows it in the band below it.
- < 82.3°FNormal activity
Normal activities. Provide 3+ rest breaks per hour (≥3 min each); unlimited water.
- 82.3 to under 87.1°FUse discretion
Use discretion for intense or prolonged exercise; watch at-risk athletes. 3+ rest breaks/hour (≥4 min each).
- 87.1 to under 90.1°FReduced: cap 2 h
Cap practice at 2 hours. Football: helmet, shoulder pads, and shorts only (pads off for conditioning). 4+ rest breaks/hour (≥4 min).
- 90.1 to under 92.1°FLimited: cap 1 h
Cap practice at 1 hour. No protective equipment and no conditioning. ~20 min of rest breaks across the hour.
- ≥ 92.1°FCancel outdoor activity
No outdoor workouts: delay or cancel until the WBGT drops to a cooler level.
This is a plain-language summary to help you plan. It is not legal advice, and it is not the association’s document. Associations revise these policies often. Confirm what currently applies with your school, district or association.
What else to know
- AHSAA’s Sports Medicine & Safety page lists this chart, updated May 28, 2024, with two other heat documents of the same date: an Exertional Heat Illness Policy and a Heat Acclimatization Protocol. Read all three on AHSAA’s site.
- AHSAA’s Exertional Heat Illness Policy also says to “Use the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature chart or Heat Index cards to adjust work”, and its equipment list includes a “Cold immersion tub/Kiddie pool/large trash can”.
How to read this
Each row is a range of WBGT readings, and every reading falls in exactly one row. A range like “82.3 to under 87.1°F” includes the first number and stops just below the second. The short activity notes in each row are a general guide, worded the same on every state page. AHSAA’s document may word its limits differently or add rest breaks, equipment and water rules, so open it for the exact rules.
Before you rely on this
- This page summarizes AHSAA’s document. It does not replace it. If they differ, go by the document and by the policy your school or league has adopted.
- Confirm what currently applies with your school, district or association. Many schools adopt their own version.
- Any WBGT number WetBulbTracker shows is a modeled estimate for planning, not an official reading. Where a policy calls for an on-site reading, that reading governs.
- This page does not replace an athletic trainer’s judgment.
Live heat readings in Alabama
Suggest a correction
Associations update these documents, often before the fall season. If something here is wrong or out of date, send us a link to the current document and we will re-check it.
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