Indian summer

An Indian summer day

Indian summer (also called Old Wives' summer in the United Kingdom) is a name given to a period of sunny, warm weather in autumn, not long before winter. This time can be in late October or early November (Northern hemisphere) / late April or early May (Southern hemisphere), usually sometime after the first frost. It can persist for just a few days or weeks.

Overview

The dates for Indian summer are inexact because of variation in climatic patterns throughout each hemisphere. In the northern U.S. state of Minnesota, for example, warm Indian summer weather generally occurs earlier: in early or mid-October rather than in early November. Meanwhile, in San Francisco, where winter and summer temperatures vary less and some of the warmest weather of the year tends to occur in October, the term "Indian summer", if used at all, does not have the same meaning as it would in a region with hot summers and very cold winters. In the Pacific Northwest, where sunshine and warmth rarely coincide after November 1, the term Indian summer usually refers to the "final" warm spell of October, which is followed by several months of frequent rain and coolness.

Usage

In former times in Europe, the Indian Summer was sometimes called Saint Luke's Summer. Saint Luke's feast day takes place on October 18. In Italy to this day the Indian Summer is expected and celebrated as an ancient rural tradition. It is called Estate di San Martino (St. Martin's Summer) and is a festivity in many localities throughout the peninsula, on St. Martin's day, November 11th. In some regions, such as the southeastern United States, Indian summer is colloquially used to describe the hottest times of the year, typically in late July or August. These are more commonly known as dog days.

The term has been used for well over two centuries. The earliest known use was by French American writer St. John de Crevecoeur in rural New York in 1778. There are several theories as to its etymology:

• It may be so named because this was the traditional period where North American First Nations/Native American peoples would harvest their fall crops.

• In The Americans, The Colonial Experience, Daniel J. Boorstin speculates that the term originated from raids on European colonies by Indian war parties; these raids usually ended in autumn, hence the extension to summer-like weather was an "Indian" summer. Indeed, two of the three other known uses of the term "Indian summer" in the 18th century are from accounts kept by two Army officers leading retaliation expeditions against Indians for raids on settlers in Ohio and Indiana in 1790, and Pennsylvania in 1794.

• It could be so named because the phenomenon was more common in what were then North American Indian territories, as opposed to the Eastern seaboard.

• It may be of Asian Indian, rather than North American Indian, origin. H. E. Ware, an English writer, noted that ships at that time traversing the Indian Ocean loaded up their cargo the most during the "Indian Summer", or fair weather season. Several ships actually had an "I.S." on their hull at the load level thought safe during the Indian Summer.

The term is also used metaphorically to refer to anything that blooms late, or unexpectedly, or after it has lost relevance. Compare to renaissance.

Modern ideas on what an Indian Summer constitutes vary, but the most widely accepted value for determining whether one is experiencing an "Indian Summer" is that the weather must be above 21°C (70 F) for 7 days after the autumnal equinox.

The English-language phrase Indian Summer is commonly misunderstood in Germany, where it is used and assumed to refer to the changing of the leaves during Autumn.

See also

• January thaw
• Dog Days
• Halcyon days

Further reading

Adam Sweeting, Beneath the Second Sun: A Cultural History of Indian Summer. University Press of New England, 2003. ISBN .

External links

• Indian Summer Article - National Weather Service
• USA Today, 'A close look at Indian summer'