#MEwx "The Dog Days of Summer" explained by the New York Times

This is an interesting piece I found in the New York Times and is weather-important. It explains that old saying about “The Dog Days of summer.”  IT goes on to explain more that I’d thought to be a myth.

It’s a fascinating article. Thank you NYT.

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“This is the time when evil is on the land, when dogs and snakes must be watched with special care and when all living things seem to wilt under some baleful influence.”

So said a 1975 article in The Times, rapturously describing the dog days of summer. The term originated in ancient times, linked not to humankind’s best friend, but marking when Sirius, the Dog Star, starts rising at dawn. (In the U.S., according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the dog days begin today.)

It was once believed that Sirius combined forces with the sun to create midsummer’s intense heat.

The dog days have often been associated with ill fortune.

The Roman poet Virgil described in the Aeneid how Sirius, “bringer of drought and plague to frail mortals, rises and saddens the sky with sinister light.”

Pure superstition, right? A Finnish study published in 2009 tested folklore saying wounds are more infection-prone during this time.

“This study was conducted in order to challenge the myth that the rate of infections is higher during the dog days,” the authors wrote. “To our surprise, the myth was found to be true.”

The dog days continue into August. Until then, avoid sharp objects.