Right now in Metairie, the air is about 83°F, but the model estimates the asphalt under your dog's paws is closer to 124°F — a gap of roughly 41°F, because clear skies are pouring full sun onto every dark surface. That reading puts Metairie in the caution range, where short, shade-hugging walks are the most a paw should take. Air temperature alone would have told you none of this — the pavement, not the forecast, is what your dog actually stands on.
Across the 12 hours left today, the pavement in Metairie is projected to top out near 130°F around 2 PM, when the air will be about 86°F — a 43°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 October, Metairie sees highs around 79°F and overnight lows near 66°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.
Metairie 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 89°F against 62°F in January, a 27°F swing that decides how much of the day belongs to your dog.
Metairie sits about 1 mile from Metairie Terrace, 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. On a day reading this warm in Metairie, 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.