Right now in Killeen, the air is about 87°F, but the model estimates the asphalt under your dog's paws is closer to 112°F — a gap of roughly 25°F, because clear skies are pouring full sun onto every dark surface. That reading puts Killeen 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 7 hours left today, the pavement in Killeen is projected to top out near 112°F around 5 PM, when the air will be about 87°F — a 25°F gap between the forecast your weather app shows and the surface your dog walks on. The surface is already coming down, about 27°F over the next three hours, so waiting a little works in your favour here.
In an average October, Killeen sees highs around 81°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. For this month the normals suggest pavement rarely reaches unsafe temperatures here, but the seven-second hand test is still the final word on any given day.
Killeen loses its all-day safe window in 6 months of the year — April through September — and October is not one of them. The year peaks in August at an average high of 97°F against 60°F in January, a 37°F swing that decides how much of the day belongs to your dog.
The nearest place we track is Round Rock, about 42 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 Killeen'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 Killeen, 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.