How hot is the pavement? During heat wave it can burn dogs’ feet and yours

The air has been stifling during the recent heat wave.

So, how hot is that pavement or concrete? Is it too hot to walk your dog on it?

If the air temperature is over 85 degrees, the consensus is yes, it is too hot to walk your pet on asphalt.

“Pavement, like asphalt or artificial grass, can become incredibly hot and cause discomfort, blisters and burn a dog’s paw pads,” said Dr. Jerry Klein, chief veterinary officer for the American Kennel Club, in an article exploring how hot is too hot for a dog’s paws.

A chow mix wears sunglasses and paw booties for protection from the heat during a walk at a park last summer in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

The AKC cites a 1970 Journal of the American Medical Association study that states if air temperature is 86 degrees, the asphalt temperature registers 135 degrees.

A 1964 researcher for the American Asphalt Institute showed that as air temperatures reached 90 degrees in Maryland, an asphalt concrete slab surface temperature soared to over 120 degrees.

“Previous work has shown increased risk of pavement burns as ambient temperatures rise above 95 degrees,” states a study of pavement burns treated at a desert burn center published in 2020. “In direct sunlight, pavement absorbs radiant energy causing the temperature to rise high enough to cause second-degree burns in seconds.”

A study conducted in Arizona and published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine in 1995 said summertime temperatures there were hot enough to cause a second-degree burn within 35 seconds of exposure from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

To get a quick conversion of pavement temperature based on air temperature, the Calculator Academy has an online pavement temperature calculator. For example, a high of 97 degrees, which has been experienced this week, results in a pavement temperature of 147 on a sunny day and 122 degrees on a partly cloudy day.

The University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences posted a chart for other outdoor surfaces temperatures: grass in the shade, grass in the sun, cement, red brick and blacktop. It was credited to television meteorologist Evan Andrews.

On a 95-degree day, the table showed surface temperatures could range from grass in the sun at 105 to 140 on blacktop.

The AKC and Working Dog Magazine suggest testing the heat of the pavement with the back of a bare hand or a bare foot by keeping it on the road or walkway for seven seconds. If it is too uncomfortable for you, it is too hot for your dog.