Just as the word “doldrums” indicates a state of inactivity or stagnant, the summer months can experience this as well. The “summer doldrums” describes a period during the summer when weather conditions become hot, still, and often oppressively humid, with little to no wind. This typically happens in late summer when the atmosphere settles into a stagnant pattern, trapping heat near the surface and leading to sluggish air movement.

The term originally comes from maritime history, referring to the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) near the equator, where sailing ships would get stuck in calm, windless waters (often for days) making progress impossible and frustrating sailors. On land, the summer doldrums capture that same feeling: sweltering, sticky days where the air barely moves and thunderstorms can build slowly, sometimes bursting after hours of stillness.

For many, the summer doldrums mean that perfect breezes are nowhere to be found, and the heat just lingers. It’s the kind of weather that can make you want to slow down, sip iced drinks, and wait for a refreshing thunderstorm to break the humidity.

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Jennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.