I love the warm hues of leaves, orange, gold and bronze, as they begin to fall from the trees; and the sounds and smells of the first OU home football game. There is nothing like the sound of “Boomer Sooner” rolling across the field.
As the air started to cool this week, my thoughts turned to the term, “Indian Summer.” I have always thought that the term referred to the phenomenon in autumn where a period of warm weather follows a period of cooler weather. I turned to an expert for the facts. Meteorology major, Stephen Jones, a sophomore from South Carolina, was happy to give me the details.
He said, “Indian summer is a Meteorology term that refers to a warmer than average fall. For example, in November if the temperatures are in the mid to upper 70's for an extended period of time, that is considered an Indian Summer.” Wikipedia was a bit more specific, describing it as “when the weather is sunny and clear, and above 21 °C (70 °F), and all of the leaves of the trees have turned but before the first snow has fallen; a period normally associated with mid-October to late-November in the northern states of the U.S. Traditionally, Indian summer can only be a true Indian summer after the first frost, generally a killing frost, of the season.”
But how did the term get connected with Indians? Wikipedia lists three theories as to why it received this name. One possibility is that it came after the Indian raids on the colonists, which usually ended in autumn. Another thought is that it was named for the period when the Indians harvested their crops. The theory that I like best is that the term paralleled the term Indian giver referring to someone who takes back a present he has given. The phrase Indian summer may be a way of saying “false summer.”
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| Lightning from storm Thursday, 9/2/10. Photo taken by Stephen Jones |
If you want to see more of Stephen’s weather photos or get more information check out his Facebook page:
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