Right now in Topeka, the air is about 88°F, but the model estimates the asphalt under your dog's paws is closer to 134°F — a gap of roughly 46°F, because clear skies are pouring full sun onto every dark surface. That reading puts Topeka in the danger range, where pavement can scald paw pads in under a minute. Humidity is nudging the human "feels-like" to about 94°F, which matters for your dog too: muggy air makes it harder for a panting dog to shed heat, so treat a borderline reading as the hotter of the two.
Across the 11 hours left today, the pavement in Topeka is projected to top out near 140°F around 2 PM, when the air will be about 92°F — a 48°F gap between the forecast your weather app shows and the surface your dog walks on. The surface is holding roughly flat over the next three hours, so there is no meaningfully cooler hour coming soon — choose shade and grass rather than waiting it out.
In an average August, Topeka sees highs around 88°F and overnight lows near 70°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. As a seasonal rule of thumb, the safest windows are before about 10:00 AM and after about 5:00 PM.
Topeka loses its all-day safe window in 4 months of the year — June through September — and August is one of them. The year peaks in July at an average high of 89°F against 40°F in January, a 49°F swing that decides how much of the day belongs to your dog.
The nearest place we track is Olathe, about 48 miles away. That is close enough to move together in a heat wave but far enough that a passing cloud bank or a coastal breeze can put real distance between the two readings, so check Topeka's own page rather than assuming.
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. On a day reading this warm in Topeka, flat-faced breeds like pugs and bulldogs, plus seniors and young puppies with thinner pads, should sit out the heat entirely — subtract about 10°F from any safe threshold for them. If you must cross hot ground, protective booties or a quick coat of paw wax are the only real barrier between paw pads and the asphalt.