Right now in Round Rock, the air is about 86°F, but the model estimates the asphalt under your dog's paws is closer to 103°F — a gap of roughly 17°F, because a mix of sun and cloud is still loading heat into the asphalt. That reading puts Round Rock 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 93°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 10 hours left today, the pavement in Round Rock is projected to top out near 103°F around 2 PM, when the air will be about 86°F — a 17°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, Round Rock sees highs around 81°F and overnight lows near 62°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.
Round Rock 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 96°F against 60°F in January, a 36°F swing that decides how much of the day belongs to your dog.
The nearest place we track is Austin, 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 Round Rock'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 Round Rock, 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.