WASHINGTON — A prediction market contract that hinges on the lowest temperature in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 12, 2026, uses readings from the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport station (KDCA) as the official reference, according to the contract listing.
How the contract works
The event is structured to resolve based on the daily low temperature recorded by Weather Underground for the KDCA reporting station. Trading for the contract is available around the clock, with a narrow suspension window on Wednesdays from 3:00 to 3:15 a.m. ET. Payouts are expected usually within one hour after the event resolves.
- Reference station: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA)
- Event date: October 12, 2026
- Trading hours: 24/7 except Wednesday 3:00–3:15 a.m. ET
- Payout timing: typically within 1 hour of resolution
- Contract reward example: $1 per correct contract (subject to fees and terms)
Where to verify the official temperature
The contract listing advises users to consult Weather Underground’s records for KDCA to identify the day’s highest and lowest observations. It cautions that some large numerical displays on the site may not represent the high/low values used by the market platform and suggests opening the older Weather Underground summary table — accessible via a green banner on the new site — or checking the Daily Observations table to locate the official extremes.
“Disregard the large red and blue numbers at the top of the new Weather Underground website above the Observations table, as they are not the daily high and low temperatures used by Forecastex,” the contract notice states.
Local implications and transparency
For Washington residents, the contract highlights how online markets increasingly rely on municipal or airport meteorological stations as authoritative sources. Using KDCA — the airport weather station serving the city — ties the outcome to a specific, publicly maintained dataset. The contract also directs readers to an analysis resource for more context: the Weather, Climate & Energy Analysis and Decision Support Website, which hosts a Washington DC (KDCA) page.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Reference station | Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA) |
| Event date | October 12, 2026 |
| Trading hours | 24 hours except Wed 3–3:15 a.m. ET |
| Payout | Usually within 1 hour of resolution |
Residents monitoring local weather or using these markets should confirm the precise observation methodology and final recorded values on the KDCA Daily Observations page when the date arrives. The contract’s terms and additional fees are listed on the platform and should be read before participation.
