The sun sets behind an Iowa City High Little Hawks huddle Aug. 28, 2026 during an Iowa High School football game at Iowa City West High School in Iowa City, Iowa.

If you live in the Midwest region of the United States, you have come to expect intense summer-like conditions in late August and September.

Still, when it arrives, it takes you by a bit of a surprise.

For states like Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska, temperatures well into the triple digits in the early evening has forced officials, athletic directors and coaches to make changes to their practice schedule.

And now, as we move closer to Friday night, it is causing changes to the start times for several games.

A heat warning, also known as an Extreme Heat Warning, is issued by the National Weather Service when there are dangerously hot and humid conditions expected or currently happening.

Typically, that is when the heat index reaches 105 degrees or higher. That level of heat can lead to health emergencies such as heat stroke or exhaustion.

In Iowa, over 30 games are currently set to begin at the customary 7 p.m. kickoff. That includes two - MOC-Floyd Valley vs. Unity Christian and HLV-TC vs. English Valleys - which will start at 8 p.m. in an attempt to keep the athletes out of the sun as much as possible.

With a heat warning set to remain in place until Friday night, even more of those with a 7 p.m. scheduled start are likely to be delayed anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.

That same heat warning has been placed over much of the state of Nebraska, resulting in the same decisions being made. KETV has reported matchups such as Lincoln Standing Bear vs. Millard North and Pius X vs. Omaha Gross Catholic will kick at 7:30 p.m.

In Illinois, it was reported early in the day on Thursday that the Chicago Public Schools were postponing all games planned for that night to a later date. However, Michael O’Brien of the Chicago Sun-Times later reported that games would be played after the heat warning was removed.

“Thursday high school football is a fun Public League tradition, but the heat has ruined it,” O’Brien posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).

He later posted, “Hearing there is a chance the Public League may play football after all,” before concluding that, “The games are back on. CPS changed course after the city removed the heat warning.

“All eight Public League football games will be played (Thursday).”