We’re entering the Dog Days of Summer, but where does that come from? When I was a little kid, I thought it referred to dogs panting. I grew up in Virginia where high humidity and temps near 90° F (32° C) were common during summer afternoons. We adjusted by wearing shorts and t-shirts a luxury our German Shepherd didn’t enjoy. Thanks to her thick fur coat she began panting as soon as she left the house. As logical as this theory may be, it’s not correct.
Real Origin
The saying comes from the ancient Greeks and Romans. Both cultures looked to the stars. Like many of their contemporaries, they connected the points of light to form constellations. They named them after mythical creatures, heroes, and legends. While the zodiac signs can be traced back to Babylonian astrology, they were also influenced by the Greco-Romans. As the sun moves through the sky, different constellations mark its path.
The Romans followed a similar process to forecast the hottest days of summer. They noticed that when the star Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, appeared just before the sun, it signaled the arrival of the hottest days. Sirius sits within the constellation Canis Major or the Greater Dog. As such, Sirius is also known as the ‘dog star.’ This led the Romans to name the hottest days – ‘dies caniculares’ which translates to ‘days of the dog star.’ Over time we’ve simplified this to ‘Dog Days.’
Modern Changes
As some of you may know, the Earth’s rotational axis wobbles or rotates through the night sky. It takes ~26,000 years to complete a full circle. Today the axis points toward Polaris, which makes it the North Star. In about 13,000 years, it will point toward Vega. This same wobble also impacts when Sirius leads the sun. For the Romans, it appeared in late July. Now the dog days begin in early July and run through mid-August.
Today’s Map
That brings us to our featured map which comes courtesy of Malcolm Tunnell. The map shows the hottest recorded temperature in each US state and territory. Two records have been broken since Malcolm created the map. On 29 June 2021, both Washington 120° F (49° C) and Oregon 119° F (48° C) set new records. The Hawaiian record also seems to be off. According to NOAA the mercury climbed to 100° F (38° C) on 27 April 1931.
What surprised you the most about the records? I was surprised that every state has reached 100° F (38° C), but many of the tropical/sub-tropical territories have not.
As always thanks for reading.
Armen
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