Heatwave....Indian Summer....Not this week!

  • Granada
September sun setting over Billinge Hill, Wigan Credit: IAN BONNELL

More dramatic talk in the press this week about it warming up.

Pleasant weather, yes, but temperatures and the time of year mean there's no heatwave or 'Indian Summer' in sight.

WHAT IS AN INDIAN SUMMER?

According to the Met Office Meteorological Glossary (first published in 1916) an Indian summer is a 'warm, calm spell of weather that occurs in Autumn'.

Anyone using the phrase this week is a little premature, as the phrase is usually associated with weather occurring later on in the Autumn season, during the months of October and November.

Normally you would also need the following elements to associate the warm and calm spell with an 'Indian Summer'.......

  • It happens after the Autumnal Equinox (Astronomical start of the new season, this year on the Wednesday 23rd September 2015

  • Usually relevant between late September and mid November

  • Occurring after the first frost of the season or a particularly cold/unsettled spell

  • It is especially warm (heatwave conditions, 5 degrees above average for 5 of more consecutive days).

This week's forecast highs are not exceptional for early September! (The average is around 17/18°C but notable highs for the northwest in September have been; 27.0 °C at Woodford 21st September 2006, 27.2°C at Blackpool 1959 and 29.2 celsius in Crosby 1991)

WHERE DID THE PHRASE COME FROM?

The exact origins of the phrase are uncertain but many people associate it with Native American Indians - the warm, hazy autumn conditions providing favourable hunting conditions (much needed and welcomed after a cold/unsettled spell).

The first recorded use of the phrase appears in a letter written by a Frenchman in the 1700s. In his description of the Mohawk country he writes.....

The term was first used in the UK in the early 19th century and went on to gain widespread usage, but the concept of a warm autumn spell even here was not new to the UK. Previously, variations of "Saint Martin's summer" were widely used across Europe to describe warm weather surrounding St Martin's Day (11 November).

This week's conditions may not be deemed worthy of heatwave or indian summer status, but it will be great news for farmers. Make the most of it, as more seasonal (i.e. unsettled!) weather is set to move in during the weekend.