Right now in Lakewood, the air is about 72°F, but the model estimates the asphalt under your dog's paws is closer to 72°F — the surface and air have nearly converged because the pavement is shedding the day's stored heat after dark. That reading puts Lakewood 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 3 hours left today, the pavement in Lakewood is projected to top out near 72°F around 9 PM, barely above the 72°F air temperature at that hour, because there is little sun left to load the surface. The surface is already coming down, about 5°F over the next three hours, so waiting a little works in your favour here.
In an average October, Lakewood sees highs around 65°F and overnight lows near 37°F. That keeps most of the day walkable, though a rare clear, calm afternoon can still warm exposed pavement more than the mild air suggests. 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.
Lakewood loses its all-day safe window in 4 months of the year — June through September — and October is not one of them. The year peaks in July at an average high of 87°F against 40°F in February, a 47°F swing that decides how much of the day belongs to your dog.
Lakewood sits about 6 miles from Denver, 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 Lakewood 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.