Stay safe, hydrated: Heat exhaustion index is climbing

The summer heat is here and that means it's time to take precautions if you plan to spend a lot of time outdoors. The WRAL Severe Weather Team has an exclusive product called the Heat Exhaustion Index to help you plan your summer days.

If you have ever played team sports or have a child that plays team sports in the summer months, you have likely heard of the wet bulb temperature. Sports clubs look at the wet bulb temperature to determine if outdoor practices are safe. Our Heat Exhaustion Index takes into account the wet bulb temperature to help determine the likelihood of heat exhaustion.

We are going to keep it simple in the WRAL Severe Weather Center. We will show you four different categories: low, moderate, high and extreme.

Low: outdoor activities are a go.

Moderate: outdoor practices should be 2 hours maximum. At least 4 separate rest breaks are required each hour for a minimum of four minutes each.

High: practices should last no longer than one hour. No protective equipment should be worn during practice and no conditioning is allowed. There must be 20 minutes of rest breaks provided during the hour of practice.

Extreme: no outdoor workouts allowed, delay practices until a cooler GWBT reading occurs.

The heat index forecast is extreme to high this Thursday and Friday. Take it easy out there!