Texas schools must monitor heat index before outdoor practices

As preseason football workouts kicked off Monday, Houston-area schools were required to measure wet bulb globe temperature before sending athletes outside. The new standard reaches Harris County campuses just as August heat and humidity make two-a-days and other conditioning sessions most dangerous.

Wet bulb globe temperature, or WBGT, is more than a thermometer reading. It folds in temperature, humidity, sun angle, wind and other environmental factors, giving coaches a better measure of the stress athletes face on the field, in the band lot or on the track. Under the new UIL approach, schools must use that reading to decide whether a practice can continue as scheduled, needs to be shortened, or has to move indoors.

The University Interscholastic League's 2026-2027 Heat Stress & Athletic Participation plan is required, and its guidance extends to outdoor athletics and marching band activities. UIL also keeps separate summer marching band practice rules and interpretations, along with health and safety pages devoted to heat stress information and resources. The heat safety guidelines also apply to marching bands, and the WBGT standard took effect Aug. 1, the same stretch when preseason workouts began.

For parents in Harris County, the change means practice schedules may look less predictable in August. Coaches can no longer rely only on the air temperature; they have to watch the conditions that can make a Houston afternoon feel much hotter than the forecast suggests. When WBGT readings climb, drills may be modified, hydration breaks added, contact reduced or workouts moved inside to avoid heat illness, dehydration and exertional collapse.

Teams at Katy High School have adapted with water breaks, and Texas football programs have shifted workouts earlier in the morning to beat the worst heat. That adjustment now has to be paired with routine WBGT checks and documented decisions from athletic departments across Harris County.