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PRINTIndian Summer
For many of us in the Northern States we are seeing a “return to summer this week.” Is this Indian Summer? And how did the term come about?
The term Indian Summer is used when we experience a little revival of summer after it should have ended. The sky is usually cloudless, but hazy or even smoky looking especially looking toward the horizon.
In England this warming trend used to be called Little Summer of St. Luke if it happened in October, or St. Martin’s Summer if it happened in November. Today, everyone refers to it as Indian Summer, although no one seems to know the origins of the name. My definition is that Indian Summer occurs only after we have experienced our first freeze and the temperatures are warmer than normal for two or more days.
There are several stories, however, that tell about early settlers mistook the haze of the late New England autumn air for the campfires of Indians, thus the name Indian Summer. Do you have a theory on the origins? No matter when, where or how, it is always enjoyed.
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Peter Geiger is the Editor of the Farmers' Almanac. Read his full biography here.Free Weekly eNewsletter
Farmers' Almanac Long Range Weather
February 8th - February 11th
- Northeast U.S.
Wet snow mixed with rain Mid-Atlantic north through New England; slushy accumulations of 4+" possible.
- Midwest/Great Lakes U.S.
Accumulating snows Kentucky, Ohio, then clearing. Fair elsewhere.
- Southeast U.S.
Wet snow Tennessee, western North Carolina; wintry mix northern Mississippi, Alabama. Elsewhere, rain, then clearing.
- North Central U.S.
Drier, much colder.
- South Central U.S.
Snow parts of Arkansas, then clearing, cold. Clear, much colder elsewhere.
- Northwest U.S.
Drier, but colder.
- Southwest U.S.
Drier, but noticeably colder.
• View entire Long Range Weather Forecast »
• Farmers' Almanac 2011-12 Winter Outlook »
• View the Almanac Daily Planner »
If you notice a hole in the upper left-hand corner of your Farmers' Almanac, don't return it to the store! That hole isn't a defect; it's a part of history. Starting with the first edition of the Farmers' Almanac in 1818, readers used to nail holes into the corners to hang it up in their homes, barns, and outhouses (to provide both reading material and toilet paper). In 1910, the Almanac's publishers began pre-drilling holes in the corners to make it even easier for readers to keep all of that invaluable information (and paper) handy.
1 comment
Indian Summer had to do with crop cycles. Native americans had a different crop cycle then europeans were use to, growing “summer crops” in the fall.