Right now in Jackson, the air is about 87°F, but the model estimates the asphalt under your dog's paws is closer to 90°F — a gap of roughly 3°F, because the pavement is shedding the day's stored heat after dark. That reading puts Jackson 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 3 hours left today, the pavement in Jackson is projected to top out near 90°F around 9 PM, when the air will be about 87°F — a 3°F gap between the forecast your weather app shows and the surface your dog walks on. The surface is already coming down, about 7°F over the next three hours, so waiting a little works in your favour here.
In an average August, Jackson sees highs around 91°F and overnight lows near 73°F. At highs like that, sun-baked pavement can easily top 120–130°F by early afternoon, so the walkable hours cluster around dawn and after sunset. As a seasonal rule of thumb, the safest windows are before about 10:00 AM and after about 5:00 PM.
Jackson loses its all-day safe window in 5 months of the year — May through September — and August is one of them. The year peaks in August at an average high of 91°F against 57°F in January, a 34°F swing that decides how much of the day belongs to your dog.
The nearest city we track is Baton Rouge, roughly 141 miles from Jackson — 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 Jackson 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. On a day reading this warm in Jackson, 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.