The weather over the past several days has been breathtaking in Maine. Before we got to this great stretch of a sun filled sky and temperatures soaring into the 60s, there was a fair amount of snow in several locations. The following link www.erh.noaa.gov displays where the snow fell, and amounts were as high as 5.4 inches in East Sangerville.

Once we got through the snowfall, a huge ridge of high pressure dominated and lifted our spirits. With this latest high in place, the type of air mass that has been the story is one that is dry. That said, seeing a cloud has been a rare occurrence, additionally, with a strong high right overhead, winds have been light. Therefore, we have had the three essential ingredients to cause a huge diurnal range (temperature difference between the daily high and low), clear sky, light wind and dry air. In other words, at night, temperatures dive into very chilly territories, and soar big time during the day.

Now, where does this talk of Indian Summer come in? The true definition of and Indian Summer is noted as a period of warm sunny weather in the Northern Hemisphere, typical from mid October to early November after the onset of a hard frost, and before the first snowfall. Given that definition, many places in Maine have already had their first snow and first frost way before this latest stretch of warm weather.

Sometimes the term can be thrown around a bit even if it does not perfectly fit its definition. Usually if it is cold in the morning, and afternoon temperatures climb well above seasonal averages, then the term Indian Summer will be used to describe the latest pattern.

Looking back at history, the expression "Indian Summer" has been used for over 200 years. St. John de Crevecouer, a French American writer used this expression back in 1778. This term was also coined as the time the Native Americans harvested crops such as corn and squash. Additionally, Europeans called the "Indian Summer," "Saint Martin's Summer," referring to St. Martins Day (November 11).

No matter how you slice it, the Indian Summer is typically a welcome sight before the deep chill of winter sets in.

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