Right now in Austin, the air is about 82°F, but the model estimates the asphalt under your dog's paws is closer to 82°F — the surface and air have nearly converged because the pavement is shedding the day's stored heat after dark. That reading puts Austin in the clear for an ordinary walk. Air temperature alone would have told you none of this — the pavement, not the forecast, is what your dog actually stands on.
Across the 19 hours left today, the pavement in Austin is projected to top out near 154°F around 3 PM, when the air will be about 105°F — a 50°F gap between the forecast your weather app shows and the surface your dog walks on. The surface is still gaining — up about 3°F over the next three hours — so a walk taken now is cooler than the same walk later this afternoon.
In an average August, Austin sees highs around 97°F and overnight lows near 78°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 9:00 AM and after about 6:00 PM.
Austin loses its all-day safe window in 7 months of the year — April through October — and August is one of them. The year peaks in August at an average high of 97°F against 62°F in January, a 35°F swing that decides how much of the day belongs to your dog.
The nearest place we track is Round Rock, about 17 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 Austin'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. Conditions in Austin 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.