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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