Right now in Austin, the air is about 85°F, but the model estimates the asphalt under your dog's paws is closer to 105°F — a gap of roughly 20°F, because a mix of sun and cloud is still loading heat into the asphalt. That reading puts Austin in the caution range, where short, shade-hugging walks are the most a paw should take. Humidity is nudging the human "feels-like" to about 92°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 9 hours left today, the pavement in Austin is projected to top out near 113°F around 4 PM, when the air will be about 85°F — a 28°F gap between the forecast your weather app shows and the surface your dog walks on. The surface is already coming down, about 12°F over the next three hours, so waiting a little works in your favour here.
In an average October, Austin sees highs around 83°F and overnight lows near 63°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 1:00 PM and after about 2:00 PM.
Austin loses its all-day safe window in 7 months of the year — April through October — and October 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. On a day reading this warm in Austin, 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.