Right now in Tri-Cities, the air is about 84°F, but the model estimates the asphalt under your dog's paws is closer to 106°F — a gap of roughly 22°F, because heavy cloud cover is taking some of the edge off the direct sun. That reading puts Tri-Cities 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 12 hours left today, the pavement in Tri-Cities is projected to top out near 133°F around 4 PM, when the air will be about 98°F — a 35°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 August, Tri-Cities sees highs around 94°F and overnight lows near 66°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 10:00 AM and after about 6:00 PM.
Tri-Cities loses its all-day safe window in 5 months of the year — May through September — and August is one of them. The year peaks in July at an average high of 97°F against 41°F in December, a 55°F swing that decides how much of the day belongs to your dog.
The nearest city we track is Spokane, roughly 128 miles from Tri-Cities — far enough that its reading is no substitute for this one. Sun angle, humidity and cloud cover can all differ across that distance, which is why this page models Tri-Cities on its own coordinates.
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 Tri-Cities 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.