Right now in Plano, the air is about 73°F, but the model estimates the asphalt under your dog's paws is closer to 81°F — a gap of roughly 8°F, because clear skies are pouring full sun onto every dark surface. That reading puts Plano 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 15 hours left today, the pavement in Plano is projected to top out near 129°F around 1 PM, when the air will be about 88°F — a 41°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 October, Plano sees highs around 78°F and overnight lows near 59°F. Those are forgiving numbers, but don't let them lull you — a sunny, still afternoon can still heat dark asphalt far above the air, especially for low-riding or short-coated dogs. 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.
Plano loses its all-day safe window in 5 months of the year — May through September — and October is not one of them. The year peaks in August at an average high of 95°F against 55°F in January, a 40°F swing that decides how much of the day belongs to your dog.
Plano sits about 5 miles from Richardson, 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 Plano 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.