Mississippi school sports heat policy
MHSAA says it “now mandates” WBGT readings for outdoor practice, and its chart shortens practice and limits football gear as the reading rises. How to read these labels
- Association
- MHSAA (Mississippi High School Activities Association)
- Label
- WBGT required
- Reading it uses
- WBGT
- Statewide table
- Yes, shown below
- Last checked
- September 27, 2026
What MHSAA’s document says
The policy cited below is written as a requirement.
MHSAA’s table puts 92.0 °F in its one-hour band and starts “No outdoor workouts” above it. This card starts that top band at 92.0 °F, a tenth of a degree earlier.
- < 82°FNormal activity
Normal activities. Provide 3+ rest breaks per hour (≥3 min each); unlimited water.
- 82 to under 87°FUse discretion
Use discretion for intense or prolonged exercise; watch at-risk athletes. 3+ rest breaks/hour (≥4 min each).
- 87 to under 90°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 to under 92°FLimited: cap 1 h
Cap practice at 1 hour. No protective equipment and no conditioning. ~20 min of rest breaks across the hour.
- ≥ 92°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
- MHSAA’s post and chart are written for outdoor practice: the chart’s limits are on practice time, and neither sets limits for games.
- MHSAA says these rules “DO NOT remove the need to have a cold tub available for all outdoor practices”, since some athletes feel heat stress earlier because of size, fitness or health.
- Even at the lowest readings, MHSAA’s chart asks for “at least three separate rest breaks each hour”. For football, it limits players to helmet, shoulder pads and shorts from 87.0 °F, and allows no protective equipment and no conditioning from 90.0 °F.
- Mississippi’s MHSAA (misshsaa.com) shares its initials with Michigan’s MHSAA, and Missouri’s association is MSHSAA. Check that a heat document you find comes from misshsaa.com.
How to read this
Each row is a range of WBGT readings, and every reading falls in exactly one row. A range like “82 to under 87°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. MHSAA’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 MHSAA’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 Mississippi
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.
Suggest a correction