The Weather Notebook: Dog Days

Dog Days
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Dave Thurlow, Host

Canis Major
Hi, I'm Dave Thurlow for The Weather Notebook and that's my dog, Toby. To him, every day is a dog day. But to us, dog days only come around this time of year.

The dog days of summer generally run from early July to mid-August. The expression dog days comes from the fact that Sirius, the Dog Star, can be seen this time of year near the rising sun. The ancient Romans believed that it added to the suns strength, isn't that right Toby.

Other dog weather? How about 'raining cats and dogs', a saying that refers to heavy rain. One explanation for this comes from the latin phrase "cata doxus" which sounds like 'cats and dogs'. It means 'contrary to normal' like abnormally heavy rain.

Another explanation? In the 1500's, cats and dogs used to burrow into thatched roofs to sleep. When it rained, the roofs became slippery and down the critters would slide. Below, it looked to be raining cats and dogs.

The French have a term for cold and rainy weather..."Il fait temps de chien" (pardon my French) and a German word for beastly weather is "Hundwetter". 'Hund' meaning 'dog' and 'wetter' meaning 'weather.'

So, why are dogs associated with bad weather? Well, who knows, but I'd rather associate Toby with companionship, not with uncomfortable weather.

If you know of words or phrases that associate animals with the weather, please let me know. Give me a call, toll free at 1-888-724-6001. That's 1-888-RAIN-001. Or send us an email by visiting our website at weathernotebook.org.

Thanks to Subaru, the beauty of all wheel drive and to the National Science Foundation.