Sirius-ly Hot Weather

Too hot to fetch...

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by John Walsh

Story Created: Jul 28, 2010 at 12:04 AM CDT

Story Updated: Jul 29, 2010 at 3:32 PM CDT

  Sultry, sweltering, oppressively hot and humid; multiple ways to describe our weather over the last few weeks.  We are in the 'dog days of summer"  which traditionally occurs in our hemisphere from  early July through early September.  Dog days is typically that period of the year with the weather is just as described above--hot, humid, kind of stagnant. 
   It was the belief of the Romans that the hot weather was caused by the "Dog Star", Sirius found in the constellation Canis Major, which means the Greater Dog.   The brightest star in the sky would rise with the sun in the morning, and it was believed the star added additional warmth to that of the sun thus producing the hottest days of summer.  Sirius means "scorcher". 
  In actuality, the hot weather is a result of the sun reaching its highest point in the Northern Hemisphere.  The sun's rays beat down directly on the earth, warming it and drawing up moisture from oceans, streams, lakes and river systems at the rate of some 16 million tons a second.  This moisture is retained in the atmosphere as water vapor, creating hot and uncomfortably muggy weather.
  There is no truth to the rumor that  this time of year was named 'the dog days" because the weather's not fit for a dog or the heat made dogs crazy. 
  To the ancient Romans  "sultry" may have a broader context than just hot weather.   It was also believe that  when the dog star rose with the sun it  weakened men and aroused women.  Sirius-ly!

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