We’re in the Dog Days of Summer. You’ve probably heard that expression before, but do you know what that means, or where the term comes from?
Over the years, “The Dog Days of Summer” has come to mean the hottest and most unbearable stretch of the season. But it’s not because the heat drives us barking mad or because the weather is especially “ruff.”
For the real reason, you need only look up.
Chief Meteorologist Mark Johnson explains that technically, the Dog Days of Summer are the 40 days between July 3 and August 11 when the star Sirius, also known as the Dog Star for its prominence in the Canis Major constellation, rises in the morning sky. After August 11, it falls below the equator and out of view.
The Dog Days of Summer started in Ancient Egypt, because after August 11, when the Dog Star would disappear from the sky, the Nile would begin to flood, so they associated the timing of the flooding with the Dog Star, Johnson said.
With temperatures over 90 degrees, Wednesday was definitely a Dog Day of Summer, but we’re eight days (or 56 dog days) from the end of the Dog Days, and hopefully that much closer to more comfortable weather.
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
