LONDONERS ARE to enjoy warm weather once again as an Indian summer is set to arrive in London this weekend and last for the rest of October.
The weather forecast is set to reach 21 degree Celsius and more within the next few weeks, with people expected to sunbathe in St James Park, London.
Named as the Indian Summer and autumn, the hot and humid weather is to arrive this weekend, on Saturday and continue in the upcoming weeks.
Alex Burkill, an official for weather forecast said: “Temperatures are predicted to reach 25 and higher right across England. Almost all areas of the country are expected to experience the same weather.”
So what is an Indian Summer?
Below is how www.theweathernetwork.com explains it:
“The Oxford University Press Dictionaries says an Indian Summer is “a period of unusually dry, warm weather occurring in late autumn.”
Some definitions insist the first frost of autumn needs to precede the warm weather before it can truly be called an Indian Summer.
The term dates back to 1778 and although the exact origin is hazy, writers speculate it refers to a spell of warm weather during autumn that allowed Native Americans to increase their winter stores.
In the UK, the term’s been used since the 19th century and gained widespread prominence after the 50s. It has somewhat overshadowed traditional terms used in the UK to describe warm weather in autumn, such as St. Martin’s Summer and St. Luke’s Summer.
Many say Autumn 2011 experienced an Indian Summer when the UK saw above average temperatures for a few days at the end of September and start of October. In fact, 1 October set a new English temperature record for the month – 29.9°C in Gravesend, Kent.
So back to this week. Based on the above definition, it’s not an Indian Summer just yet as we are at the start of meteorological autumn and there hasn’t been any substantial frost either.