Official National Weather Service observations for Houston Intercontinental Airport on October 12 confirmed a daily maximum of 88–89°F under persistent warm, humid southerly flow and limited cloud cover, locking in the market’s near-certain outcome. This reading sits several degrees above the 1991–2020 normal high of 83°F, consistent with an ongoing late-season warmth pattern driven by a stalled subtropical ridge and above-average Gulf moisture. Forecasters had highlighted afternoon heat indices near 100°F and only scattered coastal showers, keeping the peak firmly in the target range. Minor station-to-station variations or post-analysis quality-control adjustments remain the only realistic paths to a different resolution category.