Abstract
‘Dog Days’ July 3–August 11. The period of greatest heat in the summers of western Europe usually extends from early in July until about the middle of August. At the beginning of July the sea, which is slow to warm up, still keeps the temperature moderate, while towards the end of August the shorter days and smaller elevation of the sun begin to be noticeable. In the French Revolutionary Calendar of 1793, the period from July 19 until August 17 was the month “Thermidor”. In Greek mythology the heliacal rising of Sirius, the Dog star, was associated with the coming of the dry, hot and sultry season, and the evil effects of this period on vegetation led to a belief in the baleful influence of Sirius on human affairs in general; the belief was adopted by the Romans and by them transmitted over the greater part of Europe. In England the weather of the ‘dog day’ is proverbially sultry and thundery. Towards the end of July especially, there have, in recent years, been a number of severe night thunderstorms in the neighbourhood of London.
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Calendar of Nature Topics. Nature 132, 37 (1933). https://doi.org/10.1038/132037a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/132037a0