New Mexico school sports heat policy
NMAA’s Bylaw 7.6.21 makes each school responsible for an on-site WBGT or heat index reading, and NMAA’s protocol sets separate steps for games. How to read these labels
- Association
- NMAA (New Mexico Activities Association)
- Label
- Required: WBGT or heat index
- Reading it uses
- WBGT or heat index
- Statewide table
- Yes, shown below
- Last checked
- September 27, 2026
What NMAA’s document says
The policy cited below is written as a requirement.
NMAA Bylaw 7.6.21 says “each school is responsible for obtaining either a Wet Bulb Globe Temperature or Heat Index reading at the site of practices and competitions”. The bylaw also modifies competitions, not only practices. NMAA publishes one band below 87 °F where this table splits at 82 °F, so between those readings it shows the more cautious of the two. At the top, NMAA’s protocol puts 92 °F in its one-hour band (“WBGT 90 to 92”) and stops outdoor practice “Above 92.0 WBGT”. 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
- NMAA says WBGT “should be a school’s first choice when evaluating conditions and planning activities”, and it pairs each WBGT level with a heat index range (below 95, 95 to 99, 100 to 104, and above 104), so the same limits apply on either reading.
- NMAA’s protocol says “A cold-water immersion tub or other form of rapid on-site cooling should be available for all warm-weather practices.”
- At games, NMAA’s protocol has soccer referees call a heat time-out of at least five minutes in each half, and football referees one in each quarter, once the WBGT is above 87 (or the heat index above 95). Above 92.0 WBGT there is no outdoor competition.
- Below its first limit, NMAA asks for at least 10 minutes of rest breaks in each hour of practice.
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. NMAA’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 NMAA’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 New Mexico
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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