Right now in Richmond, the air is about 66°F, but the model estimates the asphalt under your dog's paws is closer to 105°F — a gap of roughly 39°F, because clear skies are pouring full sun onto every dark surface. That reading puts Richmond 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 10 hours left today, the pavement in Richmond is projected to top out near 105°F around 2 PM, when the air will be about 66°F — a 39°F gap between the forecast your weather app shows and the surface your dog walks on. The surface is already coming down, about 23°F over the next three hours, so waiting a little works in your favour here.
In an average October, Richmond sees highs around 73°F and overnight lows near 55°F. Those are forgiving numbers, but don't let them lull you — a sunny, still afternoon can still heat dark asphalt far above the air, especially for low-riding or short-coated dogs. 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.
Richmond loses its all-day safe window in 5 months of the year — May through September — and October is not one of them. The year peaks in September at an average high of 76°F against 56°F in December, a 20°F swing that decides how much of the day belongs to your dog.
Richmond sits about 6 miles from Berkeley, close enough that the two usually run within a degree or two of each other — if your walk crosses between them, either page answers the question. Street-level conditions still differ more than city-level ones do: a shaded side street and an open parking lot half a block apart can be twenty degrees apart underfoot.
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 Richmond 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.