Is This Our ‘Indian Summer’?

The high-temperature today will stretch into the mid to upper 80's. Tomorrow is October. That's the weather life in Iowa. It is fall, after all, and most people would like to see some nice crisp, cool conditions. They're coming, but the next several days will feel a lot more like summer. So is this our 'Indian Summer'?

For those of you who don't know what and 'Indian Summer' is, it is defined as a period of unseasonably warm and dry weather that occurs sometime during fall. Most definitions mention it happening in October or early November. Some people claim that it can't truly by an Indian Summer unless it occurs after the first frost of the year. No matter your definition, today and tomorrow will seem a bit out of place for early fall.

So where did the term Indian Summer come from? Research shows that it's earliest known reference comes in an essay written in the United States in around 1778. No one is sure why the term was originally used, but some say that it may be that the weather trend was first noticed in areas that were primarily still inhabited by Native Americans. It is also possible that the weather pattern was described to European settlers by the Native Americans themselves.

The U.S. isn't the only country with terminology for summer's last gasp. Some countries in Europe call in an 'Old Woman's Summer'. And in South America, some there call it a 'Little Summer'. No matter what you call it, it will feel like summer today. But don't worry. The high on Wednesday won't hit 60! Hello, fall!

[via Wikipedia]