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In Traditional Chinese Medicine, there are five elements and five seasons, with the latter part of Summer considered a special time of year in the cycle of seasons and elements. Late, or Indian Summer is that fifth season – a special time between summer and autumn when there is often a glorious hot spell. Nature is rich and full — with apples and corn and harvests galore. This is also an important period of preparation and readiness for the work ahead and the darker half of the year.
In the Chinese system, the center is the direction associated with the Earth element and the word “Doyo,” (pronounced “dough – yo”) meaning life transition, is used to describe this time. Doyo relates not only to the summer-to-autumn transition but to the times of seasonal change, which come four times a year for about two to three weeks each, basically ten days before and after each of the two solstices and equinoxes. This period has some aspects of all the seasons, or elements so that it can seem a bit chaotic – often the weather can be “unseasonably” hot, cold or some other extreme during these periods.
In the Chinese system, the center is the direction associated with the Earth element and the word “Doyo,” meaning life transition, is used to describe this time. Doyo relates not only to the summer-to-autumn transition but to the times of seasonal change, which come four times a year for about two to three weeks each, basically ten days before and after each of the two solstices and equinoxes. This period has some aspects of all the seasons, or elements so that it can seem a bit chaotic – often the weather can be “unseasonably” hot, cold or some other extreme during these periods.
Late Summer is a short season, but it can be a time of intense metamorphosis in Nature and within ourselves. During transitional periods, it is especially important to stay centered, a state of being in contact with the Earth, which we call “grounded,” so as not to go into chaos when things are in motion both inwardly and outwardly when there can be nothing to hold onto. It is important to be aware of this shift from the outward expression of spring and summer to the inward focus of autumn and winter.
“This winter, an emerging La Nina is anticipated to influence the upcoming winter patterns, especially our precipitation predictions,” said Jon Gottschalck, chief of the Operational Prediction Branch of the Climate Prediction Center.
La Nina conditions are expected to develop later this fall and typically lead to a more northerly storm track during the winter months, leaving the southern tier of the country warmer and drier. As a result, NOAA forecasters, in collaboration with the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), expect drought conditions to persist and worsen across the central and southern Plains of the U.S.
“Unfortunately, after a brief period in the spring of 2024 with minimal drought conditions across the country, more than a quarter of the land mass in the continental U.S. is currently in at least a moderate drought,” said Brad Pugh, operational drought lead with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “And the winter precipitation outlook does not bode well for widespread relief.”
