Tomorrow marks the official end of summer — but it sure as hell doesn't feel like it.

• Temps are expected to once again reach triple digits today.

The big picture: If Central Texas' long, hot summer felt hotter and drier than normal, that's because it was.

• During June, July and August, temps in the greater Austin area were as much as 5 degrees above average — and rainfall plunged below normal, leaving waterways sucked dry or dangerous for swimming.

Checking in: As of this morning, we've had 68 triple-digit days this year in Austin.

• The record is 90, set in 2011. "We're not going to reach that," Matt Brady, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, tells Axios.

Flashback: Last month we asked you to guess the final tally of triple-digit days this year, and more than 100 of you weighed in.

• As things currently stand, if we were to get no more triple-digit days, Bo D. and Gay C. would win the contest, with guesses of 68 days.
• Salvador R., Bennett S. and Terri M. are lying in wait at 69.
• No one guessed 70 days, but Michael C. is sitting pretty with a guess of 71.
• Five readers — Vanessa E., Ken C., Amanda P., Kenya P. and Taylor M. — guessed 72. So … they're clearly hoping we get roasted a few days more.

We'll announce the winner(s) in a couple weeks, when we figure the coast is finally clear.

What's next: Expect above-normal temperatures and below-normal rainfall through January, per the federal Climate Prediction Center's long-term outlooks.

• Ugh.

Texas' chief financial officer appears to be angling for higher office.

The big picture: Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar is known as a low-temperature, middle-of-the-road Republican, so some of his recent, pointed pronouncements have raised questions about whether he's trying to build his political profile ahead of a big run.

Between the lines: Last week, interspersed amid ho-hum announcements about academic scholarships and record returns of unclaimed property, his office sent out a press release headlined "Glenn Hegar Stands Up to EPA Bureaucrats in Defense of Texas Economy."

Zoom out: Since August, Hegar has warred with Harris County officials over police funding, investigated a Dallas-area club over a drag show, and threatened to freeze out financial firms he says are anti-oil and gas.

• Last month, Hegar, who authored abortion restrictions as a state senator, threw support behind exempting feminine hygiene products from state sales tax — as Republicans nationwide have been trying to figure out how to hold onto women voters in the wake of the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade.

What they're saying: Hegar, who is up for re-election this fall as comptroller, has said he will not run for the office again — but has not ruled out a run for lieutenant governor or governor.

The bottom line: It's "likely that he's looking to move up and he has to prove his social conservative bona fides to the GOP base," Jon Taylor, chair of the University of Texas-San Antonio political science department, tells Axios. "Yeah, he's looking to 2026 ... my best guess: lieutenant governor."

💰 Lockhart-based Black's Barbecue illegally gave more than $230,000 in employee tips to restaurant managers, according to an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor. (San Antonio Express-News)

🎸 Asleep at the Wheel's Ray Benson will auction off 50 years of memorabilia in October. (Austin American-Statesman)

⚖️ A state judge on Tuesday dismissed the State Bar of Texas' lawsuit against Attorney General Ken Paxton's second-in-command over Texas' effort to overturn President Biden's election victories in four swing states. (Texas Tribune)

⛳️ The fate of Peter Pan Mini-Golf, an Austin staple for nearly 75 years, will be tested soon. Its lease is set to expire in roughly 18 months. (Austin Business Journal)

Austin robotics company Apptronik will partner with NASA to accelerate commercialization of its latest humanoid robot, the startup announced Tuesday.

The big picture: The robot, named Apollo, will be one of the first humanoids available to the commercial markets, with the goal of assisting humans in industries like logistics, retail, hospitality, aerospace and more.

Why it matters: Special-purpose robots are only capable of doing one repetitive task, but Apollo is designed to do a wide range of tasks in different environments. (Imagine a robot that can help unload trucks and stock shelves.)

What they're saying: "Continued investment from NASA validates the work we are doing at Apptronik and the inflection point we have reached in robotics," Apptronik's founder and CEO Jeff Cardenas said. "These robots will first become tools for us here on Earth, and will ultimately help us move beyond and explore the stars."

Catch up quick: Apptronik, founded in 2016, spun off from the Human-Centered Robotics Lab at the University of Texas with the goal of building robots to work alongside humans.

• The startup quickly grew, raising $14.6 million in June.
• The company has 52 employees based in Austin with plans to double by next year, Cardenas told Axios in June.

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Here's another sign that Texans desperately want it to be fall: H-E-B just released limited edition ridged potato chips that taste like — drumroll, please — apple pie and holiday stuffing.

🥧 Nicole's five-word apple pie review: Not my favorite. Just OK.

Of note: The holiday stuffing-flavored chips were sold out at H-E-B Riverside yesterday.

🎃 Flashback: We wrote about stores putting out their pumpkin merchandise in July and noted that pumpkin spice season is off to an earlier-than-ever start.