Indian summer

An Indian summer is a period of unseasonably warm and dry weather. This phenomenon often occurs during autumn in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Some sources suggest a true Indian summer does not begin until after the first "killing frost." A killing frost is a freeze that is cold enough to damage plants. This weather is not a permanent change to the season. Instead, it is a short spell of warmth that arrives as the year cools down.

Weather historian William R. Deedler provides a specific way to define this event. He describes it as any spell of warm, quiet, and hazy weather. These periods typically occur in October or November. However, Deedler noted that some people report warm spells as late as December or January. The geographic reach of this weather is also debated. Some writers use the term only for weather in New England. Others state that it happens across most of the United States, including the Pacific coast.

The exact origins of the name remain a mystery. In the late 19th century, lexicographer Albert Matthews searched early American literature for the answer. He found an early reference dating to 1851. He also found the phrase in an English letter from 1778. However, he believed that English use was just a coincidence. Later research pointed to an essay written by J. Hector St. John de Crèvecœur around 1778. This essay described the character of autumn in the United States. It likely implied the common usage of the expression we use today.

There are several theories about why the term was chosen. It may be called an Indian summer because it was first noted in regions inhabited by Native Americans. It is also possible that Native Americans first described these conditions to Europeans. Some suggest the name comes from the warm, hazy conditions during autumn hunts. The naturalist John James Audubon wrote about this in his 1820 journal. He described it as an "extraordinary phenomenon of North America." He noted a constant, smoky atmosphere that irritated his eyes. Audubon suspected the smoke came from Indians firing the prairies of the West.

Many different cultures have unique names for this autumn warmth. In Germany, Austria, and several Slavic countries, it is called "old women's summer." In Bulgaria, people call it "gypsy summer" or "poor man's summer." In Serbia, it is known as "Miholjsko leto" after the feast of Saint Michael. Ireland calls it the "little autumn of the geese" because geese are fat enough to eat then. Spain refers to it as the "little summer of the quince tree." In South America, the phenomenon is called "Veranico" or "little summer." In these regions, the weather is often linked to the occurrence of El Niño.

In the United Kingdom, the term was used in the early 19th century. An article in The Guardian in 1837 explained the phrase to British readers. The UK Met Office defined it in 1916 as a warm, calm spell in autumn. While it is used in North America, early 20th-century climatologists used it specifically for the American version. The term is also used metaphorically in literature. Van Wyck Brooks used it to suggest a period of depleted strength. William Dean Howells used it in his 1886 novel to mean a time of recovering happiness.

This concept has influenced many forms of media and art. The term appears in numerous book titles, such as those by John Knowles and Alex von Tunzelmann. It is a popular theme in music as well. The band The Doors recorded a song called "Indian Summer" for their 1970 album. Many other artists, including Joe Dassin and U2, have used the name. Even board games, like the one designed by Uwe Rosenberg, use the theme. From folklore to modern pop culture, the idea of a sudden, warm autumn remains a powerful image.