Right now in Billings, the air is about 83°F, but the model estimates the asphalt under your dog's paws is closer to 125°F — a gap of roughly 42°F, because clear skies are pouring full sun onto every dark surface. That reading puts Billings 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 Billings is projected to top out near 136°F around 2 PM, when the air will be about 90°F — a 46°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, Billings sees highs around 88°F and overnight lows near 61°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.
Billings loses its all-day safe window in 3 months of the year — June through August — and August is one of them. The year peaks in July at an average high of 89°F against 33°F in February, a 56°F swing that decides how much of the day belongs to your dog.
The nearest city we track is Cheyenne, roughly 370 miles from Billings — 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 Billings 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 Billings, 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.