Two dangers, judged separately
Two different dangers have two different answers. Paw Weather judges them separately and shows you the worse of the two, so the reason you get is the reason that matters.
Paws — pavement temperature
Estimated from your local forecast (the National Weather Service in the United States, MET Norway everywhere else), sun angle, cloud cover and surface type (asphalt or concrete), plus the pavement’s own thermal lag.
| Pavement | Verdict | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| under 110°F | Go | — |
| 110°F+ | Caution | Grass, shade, shorter route |
| 125°F+ | Danger | Skin damage in about a minute |
Puppies get 5°F stricter thresholds — thinner pads. Concrete sidewalks run 14–25°F cooler than asphalt in the same sun — 20°F or more once the air is above 80°F — and the app shows both numbers so you can just cross the street.
Heat — heatstroke risk
The heat index: temperature plus humidity, because a dog cools itself by panting and humid air makes that fail.
| Heat index | Verdict | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| under 80°F | Go | — |
| 80°F+ | Caution | Keep it short and easy |
| 90°F+ | Danger | High heatstroke risk |
Stricter for the dogs that overheat first: flat-faced breeds −6°F, puppies and seniors −4°F, a dark coat in direct sun −3°F (10°F stricter at most). Air at 100°F or above is DANGER regardless.
Why “walk after sunset” isn’t automatically safe
Asphalt holds its heat. When the model was checked against 16 Arizona DOT roadway sensors about 3.7 hours after sunset, the pavement was still 6.8°F above air temperature on average, up to 10.1°F — and it was warmer than the air at all 16 stations. Paw Weather carries that lag forward hour by hour, which is exactly why its evening windows are narrower than a plain temperature forecast would suggest.
Pavement numbers are shown rounded to 5°F. That is deliberate: it is an estimate, and rounding keeps it from looking more precise than it is.
The curve on the front page, as numbers
The same values the chart is drawn from, produced by running the app’s own risk engine. Clear sky, 40% relative humidity, and the hottest hour of the day — pavement stores heat, so the app solves a whole day rather than a single moment. The representative day is 35°N, 98°W on 15 July, with the air temperature holding steady; a real forecast moves it.
| Air | Asphalt | Concrete | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60°F | 97°F | 83°F | 14°F |
| 70°F | 115°F | 98°F | 17°F |
| 80°F | 132°F | 112°F | 20°F |
| 90°F | 150°F | 127°F | 23°F |
| 100°F | 165°F | 140°F | 25°F |
The front page quotes air 77°F against asphalt ~127°F, which is this model. The app’s own Learn article quotes ~125°F for the same case, from published spot measurements. Published measurements and a model will not line up exactly — pavement age, colour, wind and how long the sun has been on it move the real number by 10°F or more.
Free, and Pro
The safety answer is never behind the paywall. Today’s verdict, today’s hour-by-hour timeline, one dog profile, the last 7 days of walk and care records and every Learn article are free, forever.
Free
- The verdict for right now, where you are
- Today’s hour-by-hour timeline and today’s best walk windows
- Estimated asphalt and concrete temperature
- One dog profile, judged on its own risk factors
- Walk and care records (walks with the route, meals and more) for the last 7 days — older records are kept, not deleted
- An alert before a danger stretch starts
- All of the Learn guides, including the 7-second rule
Paw Weather Pro — monthly, yearly, or one-time
- 7-Day Walk Planner — every safe window for the week ahead
- Smart Alerts — a morning summary of the day’s danger hours, and a pre-walk check before your usual walk time
- The whole log — every walk and meal beyond the last 7 days, plus the month calendar
- The whole pack — profiles for up to 6 dogs
- Redecorate the room — wood, sage, rose or night sky for your buddy’s room
Choose monthly (with a free trial for first-time subscribers), yearly, or a one-time purchase, all through the App Store and tied to your Apple ID. No ads, no accounts. Check the app and the App Store for prices — they can differ by country and can change.
Questions
Where does the weather come from?
In the United States, from the National Weather Service (api.weather.gov), a free public-domain service. Everywhere else, from MET Norway (api.met.no), licensed CC BY 4.0. So the forecast and the verdict work outside the United States too.
I bought Pro and it isn’t showing up
Open Settings → Restore purchases. Pro, whether a subscription or a one-time purchase, is tied to the Apple ID that bought it, so restoring works on any device signed in to that Apple ID. If it still doesn’t unlock, email me and I'll help.
It keeps suggesting walk times I'd never take
Settings → Walk hours caps the earliest (5–8 AM) and latest (7–11 PM) times Paw Weather will ever suggest. Walk windows and alerts stay inside those hours — set them to your routine and to the streets you trust after dark.
What about cold, ice and road salt?
In cold weather Paw Weather warns about frostbite risk on bare paws, wind chill, ice and road salt conditions, and reminds you to wipe your dog’s paws after the walk. How strict the cold verdict gets depends on your dog’s coat and breed.
Does it collect my data?
No accounts, no ads, no analytics, no tracking. Dog profiles and settings stay on the phone. If you allow location, the coordinates go only to the public weather service for your area — the National Weather Service in the United States, MET Norway elsewhere — to fetch the forecast. Details in the privacy policy.
Read first, then walk
Free guides, and a checker that runs in your browser.
Is it too hot to walk my dog? — free checker
Enter the air temperature and the sky, get an instant GO / CAUTION / DANGER verdict with estimated asphalt and concrete temperatures. Runs in your browser, no app needed.
When is pavement too hot for dog paws?
A pavement temperature chart by air temperature, the 7-second hand test, and what roadside sensors told us about how long asphalt stays hot after sunset.
Is a cloudy day safe for dog walks?
Clouds cut pavement heating, but they don’t erase it: charts for full sun, partly cloudy and overcast — plus what switching to the concrete sidewalk buys you.
Limits
Pavement temperatures are estimates. They are modelled from the forecast, the sun’s angle and cloud cover — not measured on your street. Surface age, color, wind and shade move the real number by 10°F or more. The 7-second hand test always has the final say.
Paw Weather is an educational planning tool, not veterinary advice. If your dog shows signs of a paw burn or heatstroke, contact a veterinarian right away.
Still stuck?
Questions, bug reports, a verdict that looked wrong for your street — write to me.
nosunosukawa@gmail.com