Nebraska school sports heat policy
NSAA recommends WBGT limits for practices and games in two regional tables and lists which Nebraska schools follow each. How to read these labels
- Association
- NSAA (Nebraska School Activities Association)
- Label
- WBGT recommended
- Reading it uses
- WBGT
- Statewide table
- Yes, two tables shown below
- Last checked
- September 5, 2026
What NSAA’s document says
The state association recommends WBGT-based activity modification.
NSAA’s chart says “The NSAA Board of Directors approved the Wet Bulb Globe Thermometer (WBGT) as the recommended measurement practice and device”. The zones here are NSAA’s Region 2 column, in NSAA’s own printed numbers. Each NSAA column leaves one reading in no band, 79.7 °F in Region 2 and 76.1 °F in Region 1; this card shows each in the band below it.
NSAA’s Region 2 table
- < 79.8°FNormal activity
Normal activities. Provide 3+ rest breaks per hour (≥3 min each); unlimited water.
- 79.8 to under 84.7°FUse discretion
Use discretion for intense or prolonged exercise; watch at-risk athletes. 3+ rest breaks/hour (≥4 min each).
- 84.7 to under 87.7°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).
- 87.7 to under 89.8°FLimited: cap 1 h
Cap practice at 1 hour. No protective equipment and no conditioning. ~20 min of rest breaks across the hour.
- ≥ 89.8°FCancel outdoor activity
No outdoor workouts: delay or cancel until the WBGT drops to a cooler level.
NSAA publishes two regional tables and lists which schools follow each: 38 of its schools are Region 1, the rest Region 2. Check NSAA's own school list for yours.
NSAA’s Region 1 table
- < 76.2°FNormal activity
Normal activities. Provide 3+ rest breaks per hour (≥3 min each); unlimited water.
- 76.2 to under 81.1°FUse discretion
Use discretion for intense or prolonged exercise; watch at-risk athletes. 3+ rest breaks/hour (≥4 min each).
- 81.1 to under 84.1°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).
- 84.1 to under 86.2°FLimited: cap 1 h
Cap practice at 1 hour. No protective equipment and no conditioning. ~20 min of rest breaks across the hour.
- ≥ 86.2°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
- NSAA’s chart covers games as well as practice. In its third and fourth bands it calls for extra or longer timeouts for rest and water under NFHS rules, in its fourth band it also says to consider delaying or postponing start times, and at the top it says to cancel or delay outdoor practices and contests.
- NSAA says “The use of WBGT is recommended throughout the calendar year when the ambient temperature is above 80 degrees”, and its chart says a WBGT reading should be taken every 30 minutes.
- In its second, third and fourth bands, NSAA’s chart lists cold water immersion as available, and it says schools should have an exertional heat illness emergency action plan.
- NSAA’s Region 1 table starts each step 3.6 °F lower than its Region 2 table, so the two can call for different limits at the same reading.
How to read this
Each row is a range of WBGT readings, and every reading falls in exactly one row. A range like “79.8 to under 84.7°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. NSAA’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 NSAA’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 Nebraska
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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