Right now in Charleston, the air is about 79°F, but the model estimates the asphalt under your dog's paws is closer to 97°F — a gap of roughly 18°F, because a mix of sun and cloud is still loading heat into the asphalt. That reading puts Charleston in the clear for an ordinary walk. Humidity is nudging the human "feels-like" to about 84°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 14 hours left today, the pavement in Charleston is projected to top out near 135°F around 2 PM, when the air will be about 87°F — a 48°F gap between the forecast your weather app shows and the surface your dog walks on. Today breaks into 2 separate safe stretches rather than one continuous window, so missing the first does not cost you the day.
In an average August, Charleston sees highs around 86°F and overnight lows near 76°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 4:00 PM.
Charleston loses its all-day safe window in 6 months of the year — April through September — and August is one of them. The year peaks in July at an average high of 88°F against 59°F in January, a 29°F swing that decides how much of the day belongs to your dog.
Charleston sits about 6 miles from North Charleston, 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 Charleston 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.