This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/from-the-archive-blog/2014/sep/08/indian-summer-archive
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| What is an Indian summer? What is an Indian summer? | |
| (4 months later) | |
| The Met Office Meteorological Glossary, first published in 1916, defines an Indian summer as ‘a warm, calm spell of weather occurring in autumn, especially in October and November.’ While the definition of an Indian summer seems quite straightforward, the origins of the phrase are a little hazy. | The Met Office Meteorological Glossary, first published in 1916, defines an Indian summer as ‘a warm, calm spell of weather occurring in autumn, especially in October and November.’ While the definition of an Indian summer seems quite straightforward, the origins of the phrase are a little hazy. |
| You could be forgiven for thinking that it comes from British colonial rule in India. But the more likely explanation is that it was first coined along the American east coast where warm weather in autumn is not uncommon. One theory even goes as far as to credit it to Native Americans - ‘American Indians’ - who are said to have taken advantage of mild autumnal weather to hunt and forage later in the day to build up winter food stocks. | You could be forgiven for thinking that it comes from British colonial rule in India. But the more likely explanation is that it was first coined along the American east coast where warm weather in autumn is not uncommon. One theory even goes as far as to credit it to Native Americans - ‘American Indians’ - who are said to have taken advantage of mild autumnal weather to hunt and forage later in the day to build up winter food stocks. |
| Though not confirming the latter, William R Deedler, a US weather historian, does add weight to the idea that the term does comes from north America. In 1996, Deedler cited St John de Crevecoeur, a French American author turned Orange County farmer, who in 1778 wrote: | Though not confirming the latter, William R Deedler, a US weather historian, does add weight to the idea that the term does comes from north America. In 1996, Deedler cited St John de Crevecoeur, a French American author turned Orange County farmer, who in 1778 wrote: |
| Sometimes the rain is followed by an interval of calm and warmth which is called the Indian Summer; its characteristics are a tranquil atmosphere and general smokiness. | Sometimes the rain is followed by an interval of calm and warmth which is called the Indian Summer; its characteristics are a tranquil atmosphere and general smokiness. |
| Closer to home, the Manchester Guardian tried to explain an Indian summer to its readers in 1837. The piece below, written by someone who lived through an Indian summer in the US, questioned whether Native Americans had influenced the origins of the phrase. In any case, the writer didn’t care much for warm and bright autumns, saying they were ‘peculiar’ and had ‘little beauty’. | Closer to home, the Manchester Guardian tried to explain an Indian summer to its readers in 1837. The piece below, written by someone who lived through an Indian summer in the US, questioned whether Native Americans had influenced the origins of the phrase. In any case, the writer didn’t care much for warm and bright autumns, saying they were ‘peculiar’ and had ‘little beauty’. |
| Warm autumn weather wasn’t limited to north America. In Europe, long periods of high pressure would occasionally result in warm temperatures in October and even November. The belated good weather was sometimes referred to as All Hallowen summer or Old Wives’ summer. Warm weather coinciding with saints days in autumn were given names like St Luke’s Little Summer or St Martin’s Summer. | Warm autumn weather wasn’t limited to north America. In Europe, long periods of high pressure would occasionally result in warm temperatures in October and even November. The belated good weather was sometimes referred to as All Hallowen summer or Old Wives’ summer. Warm weather coinciding with saints days in autumn were given names like St Luke’s Little Summer or St Martin’s Summer. |
| These traditional terms became obsolete from about the 1920s with more newspapers reporting warm autumnal weather as evidence of an ‘Indian summer’. | These traditional terms became obsolete from about the 1920s with more newspapers reporting warm autumnal weather as evidence of an ‘Indian summer’. |
| Whilst overused at times, headline writers could be forgiven for using the phrase in autumn 2011. This Observer story from the 1st October, with its remarkable photograph of a packed Brighton beach, described how the country sweltered in temperatures of 29.9C, breaking the record for the hottest ever day in October. | Whilst overused at times, headline writers could be forgiven for using the phrase in autumn 2011. This Observer story from the 1st October, with its remarkable photograph of a packed Brighton beach, described how the country sweltered in temperatures of 29.9C, breaking the record for the hottest ever day in October. |