A record-setting heatwave in the Midwest this week has been exacerbated by the process of “corn sweat,” where water evaporates from cornstalks and increases humidity levels in the air. This, combined with moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, has led to dangerously high heat index values in states like Illinois and Iowa, where most U.S. corn production occurs. The heat dome has broken numerous records in the region, including in Amarillo, Texas, where temperatures reached 108 degrees. The National Weather Service has reported that an acre of corn can release thousands of gallons of water into the atmosphere each day, contributing to the humidity. Soybeans, another major crop in the Midwest, also contribute to the region’s summer humidity. Fortunately, a cold front moving south from Canada has brought some relief to the upper Plains and Midwest regions, but heat advisories are still in effect in parts of the central and southern U.S. such as Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, as well as Mississippi, Alabama, and Arkansas.
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Corn sweat contributing to intense heatwave in Midwest
