Right now in Mobile, the air is about 70°F, but the model estimates the asphalt under your dog's paws is closer to 85°F — a gap of roughly 15°F, because clear skies are pouring full sun onto every dark surface. That reading puts Mobile in the clear for an ordinary walk. Air temperature alone would have told you none of this — the pavement, not the forecast, is what your dog actually stands on.
Across the 15 hours left today, the pavement in Mobile is projected to top out near 129°F around 2 PM, when the air will be about 87°F — a 43°F gap between the forecast your weather app shows and the surface your dog walks on. Today breaks into 2 separate safe stretches rather than one continuous window, so missing the first does not cost you the day.
In an average October, Mobile sees highs around 80°F and overnight lows near 63°F. Even at those moderate highs, a dark surface in direct sun can run 40–60°F hotter than the air, which is enough to tip midday walks into the caution range. For this month the normals suggest pavement rarely reaches unsafe temperatures here, but the seven-second hand test is still the final word on any given day.
Mobile loses its all-day safe window in 6 months of the year — April through September — and October is not one of them. The year peaks in August at an average high of 91°F against 61°F in January, a 30°F swing that decides how much of the day belongs to your dog.
The nearest city we track is New Orleans, roughly 132 miles from Mobile — far enough that its reading is no substitute for this one. Sun angle, humidity and cloud cover can all differ across that distance, which is why this page models Mobile on its own coordinates.
Whatever the number says, confirm it with your hand: press the back of it flat on the pavement for seven seconds. If you can't hold it there, neither can your dog. Conditions in Mobile are on the gentler side right now, but keep the same habits: water before and after, grass over asphalt, and a close eye on flat-faced breeds, seniors, and puppies, who overheat and burn sooner than a healthy adult dog.