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A season that only exists in North America / There they call it Indian summer
": and if the best definition of "Indian summer" was given to us by the song of Joe Dassin ?
The expression, which appeared in Pennsylvania at the beginning of the 19th century, declined in “Indian summer” by French-speaking Canadians, has been poorly recovered over time.
It has induced an important imbroglio in popular thought by being wrongly used to evoke a period of mild weather in early autumn.
In reality, the Indian summer designates a meteorological phenomenon specific to North America, that is to say in Canada and the United States.
Ask a Quebecer where to see, where to live the Indian summer, the latter will probably explain to you that there has not yet been one this year and that there may not be.
This is a period of warm weather that occurs only after a first fall frost.
Thus, to speak of an Indian summer, one therefore needs a period of frost followed by a period of exceptionally hot weather, with temperatures 4 to 6 degrees higher than normal.
It sometimes happens in October, November or just doesn't happen.
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color season
As Radio Canada reminds us, we speak of an Indian summer when the following meteorological elements come together for at least three consecutive days: "
Sunny weather, very little precipitation (less than 5 mm per day), daytime temperatures exceeding normal 5°C (while they can be near normal overnight), little or no morning mist, light winds.
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The Indian summer is distinct from the color season.
If it occurs randomly, the color season does take place every year, generally between mid-September and mid-October in eastern Canada and particularly in Quebec.
Bright yellow, vibrant orange, fiery red... The trees then put on their autumn finery, most take on yellowish colors while the maple leaves turn purple.