Indian summer an oasis of warm weather
October is the truly transitional autumnal month, starting out with summer green and usually ending with wintry gray. Along the way, Mother Nature puts on a terrific display of color as she readies the hills and valleys for the coming of winter.
Often there is a pause in the advance of the fall season like we had last week when a throwback to summer comes and a period of pleasant weather prevails with warm temperatures, light winds and a lot of sunshine. One enjoys a relaxed feeling in the softness of the weather. In days past, this was the time when the Indians completed the tasks of gathering in the harvest and preparing for the coming of the cold weather.
Some claim that Indian summer does not occur until after the first frost, although the chilly mornings of the past few weeks certainly qualify and mountain areas saw three mornings already with some frost. Indian summer is a floating period on nature蘑菇视频 calendar coming anytime in October and November, and there may be several spells of pleasant weather.
Occasionally, we may even experience a prolonged Indian summer weather pattern lasting for a week or two, but usually this pleasant weather comes between periods of cooler and wetter weather patterns as storms are becoming more frequent as we move through the fall months heading for winter.
Many sections of the country experience conditions resembling Indian summer, although the Mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley, including our southwest Pennsylvania area, are best known for the frequency of its occurrence.
The recent period of Indian summer weather we experienced along with cooler mornings and shorter days are producing peak color in the mountains. In fact, some of the leaves are already off the trees. This week should see good color spreading down the mountains into the lower elevations. A great time to get outside and enjoy the nice days visiting with Mother Nature. She never disappoints.
Don鈥檛 forget to take along a sweater as mornings can be on the cool side.