I know most of us have heard the term "Indian Summer" most of our lives, but have you ever wondered exactly what it meant?
I have, so I did a little reading at the Old Farmer's Almanac and found this article about it. It's been a while since I've posted anything from the almanac, and this seemed a good time to make up for that!
I just love all the information you can find there!
Enjoying Indian Summer in your neck of the woods?
In the fall, it seems that almost any warm day is referred to by most people as "Indian summer."
And, while their error is certainly not of the world-shaking variety, they are, for the most part, in error. Here are criteria for an Indian summer:
As well as being warm, the atmosphere during Indian summer is hazy or smoky, there is no wind, the barometer is standing high, and the nights are clear and chilly.
A moving, cool, shallow polar air mass is converting into a deep, warm, stagnant anticyclone (high pressure) system, which has the effect of causing the haze and large swing in temperature between day and night.
The time of occurrence is important: The warm days must follow a spell of cold weather or a good hard frost.
The conditions described above must occur between St. Martin's Day (November 11) and November 20. For over 200 years, The Old Farmer's Almanac has adhered to the saying, "If All Saints' (November 1) brings out winter, St. Martin's brings out Indian summer."
Why is Indian summer called Indian summer? There are many theories. Some say it comes from the early Algonquian Native Americans, who believed that the condition was caused by a warm wind sent from the court of their southwestern god, Cautantowwit.
The most probable origin of the term, in our view, goes back to the very early settlers in New England. Each year they would welcome the arrival of a cold wintry weather in late October when they could leave their stockades unarmed. But then came a time when it would suddenly turn warm again, and the Native Americans would decide to have one more go at the settlers. "Indian summer," the settlers called it.
You just have to love the fact that the Native Americans made use of any good weather they had to "have another go" at the settlers. Pretty determined bunch, wouldn't you say?
It's cool but dry this morning, so let's have our coffee out on the patio. In the 60s, so that's not too bad!
