The “dog days of summer,” which start July 3 and run through mid-August, have absolutely nothing to do with dogs or even summer. They’re named after Sirius, the “dog star,” and in ancient times these days were when people were typically experiencing heat, drought and sudden thunderstorms. Greeks and Romans even thought this to be a time of bad luck when dogs (and men) were driven mad by the heat! Nowadays, it’s more characteristically associated with summer peak heat and humidity.
The dog days of summer got its name because the ancient Greeks and Romans believed the rising of Sirius caused the extreme weather they experienced during this part of summer. The “heat” from both Sirius and the sun caused the scorching heat of summer. In ancient Egypt, Sirius tended to coincide with the flood season of the Nile so they considered it to be the “watchdog” for the event.
Even in North America we have had some proverbial influence of Sirius as a bad omen on the weather:
“Dog days bright and clear
“Indicate a good year;
“But when accompanied by rain,
“We hope for better times in vain.”
Although Sirius may occasionally be one of the brightest stars in our night sky, it does not affect our weather. All stars gradually shift in relation to the sun and can rise in winter just as easily as in summer. It is important to understand that summer heat and rainfall will vary in their effect from year to year due to latitude, location and many other factors; we can’t blame just one star for our crazy summer weather.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Brenda Jackson at Murray County Extension at (706) 695-3031 or bljack@uga.edu.