When the leaves start changing and the days get shorter, colder weather is on its way, but maybe not right away. 

Once there are a few days filled with cooler temperatures, many people rush to pack away shorts and tank tops and trade them out for jeans and sweaters. 

Yet once fall arrives, you may want to hold off on putting away all your summer outfits because you could need them one more time for Indian summer. 

Indian summer is a time when warm temperatures return to the Northern Hemisphere. 

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If it happens, take advantage of the few extra days to enjoy the warm temperatures before cold weather rolls in.

Below is everything you need to know about Indian summer and ways to take advantage of the warm front. 

Indian summer is a period of abnormally warm weather in late October or November in the Northern Hemisphere. 

For a weather pattern to be considered Indian summer, the temperatures must reach 70 degrees Farenheit, and a heat wave must occur after the first frost of the year. During this time, the days are warm and hazy with cooler temperatures emerging at night. 

The exact origins behind Indian summer are unknown, but there are a number of different theories. 

A popular one is that Native Americans recognized the weather pattern and used the period of warm weather as an opportunity to gather additional food and prepare for the winter months.

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There are other names used for the phenomenon, including "second summer" and "Saint Martin's summer," which is used throughout Europe and refers to Saint Martin's Day Nov. 11. 

An Indian summer may last just a few days or more than a week. 

An Indian summer could also occur more than once before winter arrives. 

The weather that comes with Indian summer provides one last opportunity to enjoy warmer temperatures before frigid temperature are here to stay. 

This warm weather provides a great opportunity to get last-minute yard work completed. 

Take the time to enjoy the warm weather before you spend most of the days inside. 

Go for a walk, eat lunch outside at a local park or enjoy a good book out in the yard. 

The death toll from strong earthquakes in western Afghanistan, one of the deadliest earthquakes to shake the country in two decades, has risen to more than 2,000, a Taliban government spokesman said Sunday.

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake followed by strong aftershocks killed dozens of people in western Afghanistan on Saturday, according to the country’s national disaster authority.

However, Ministry of Information and Culture spokesman Abdul Wahid Rayan says per another source the death toll from the earthquake in Herat is higher than originally reported. About six villages were destroyed, and hundreds of civilians have been trapped under the debris.

The United Nations provided a preliminary figure late Saturday that 320 people were dead, but it later said the figure was still being verified. Local authorities estimated that 100 people were killed and 500 were injured, according to the same update from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

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According to the update, 465 houses were reported destroyed and another 135 were damaged.

"Partners and local authorities anticipate the number of casualties to increase as search and rescue efforts continue amid reports that some people may be trapped under collapsed buildings," the U.N. said.

Disaster authority spokesperson Mohammad Abdullah Jan said four villages in the Zenda Jan district in Herat province suffered the most damage from the earthquake and aftershocks.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the earthquake was about 25 miles northwest of Herat city and was followed by three very strong aftershocks that measured magnitude 6.3, 5.9 and 5.5, as well as lesser shocks.

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The World Health Organization in Afghanistan said it dispatched 12 ambulances to Zenda Jan to evacuate injured people to hospitals.

"As deaths & casualties from the earthquake continue to be reported, teams are in hospitals assisting treatment of wounded & assessing additional needs," the U.N. agency said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "WHO-supported ambulances are transporting those affected, most of them women and children."

Telephone connections went down in Herat, making it difficult to report the impacts from affected areas.

The earthquake was also felt in the nearby Afghan provinces of Farah and Badghis, according to local media reports.

The Taliban urged local organizations to reach areas struck by the earthquake as soon as possible to help transport victims to hospitals, provide shelter for people displaced from their homes and deliver food to survivors. The Taliban said security agencies should use all their resources and facilities to rescue people trapped under debris.

"We ask our wealthy compatriots to give any possible cooperation and help to our afflicted brothers," the Taliban said on X.

The earthquake comes after a powerful June 2022 earthquake struck a rugged, mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan that killed at least 1,000 people and injured about 1,500.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.