As we love to say in the Hoosier State, it's not the heat that gets you, it's the corn sweat.

Indiana's Hot and Humid Summers

A running joke in the Midwest is that we love to say the phrase "it's not the heat, it's the humidity" when describing how miserably hot it feels outside.   Indiana is known for having hot and humid summers, and while the heat is makes us feel uncomfortable in the summertime, the high humidity is what makes summertime in our area feel miserable at times.  But why is that?

Why Does Humidity Make You Feel Hotter?

After doing some digging, I found that the reason we feel hotter when it's humid out has to do with the things our bodies do to cool us down.  When we get too hot, we sweat, and the sweat evaporating helps our bodies to cool down.

However, according to the National Weather Service, when it's humid out, evaporation of that sweat slows down, which causes the body to feel hotter.

When perspiration is evaporated off the body, it effectively reduces the body's temperature.  When the atmospheric moisture content (i.e. relative humidity) is high, the rate of evaporation from the body decreases.  In other words, the human body feels warmer in humid conditions.  (National Weather Service)

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We are known for often having high humidity in Indiana, and we can partially thank one of our favorite crops, corn, for that!

Corn Sweat Season in Indiana

Indiana is a big agricultural state, with the agriculture industry bringing in roughly $35.1 billion to our state's economy annually.   Indiana grows many different crops, but one we are well known for is corn.  Drive down any rural road in the state, there's a good chance you'll pass by a cornfield. When it gets hot in the summer, corn has to cool down like everything else, so it will release moisture into the air in a process called evapotranspiration.  This process can add to the humidity we feel outside.

According to Indiana AG Connection, increased humidity can lead to higher heat indexes, which then makes the air feel even hotter for folks who live near cornfields.

So, how much moisture does corn sweat release into the air?

It's pretty substantial. According to Ohio State University:

Some research conducted by USDA Agricultural Research Service suggests that corn can contribute between 3,500 and 5,000 gallons of water per acre to the atmosphere over the course of one to two days. A typical pool contains 18,000 - 20,000 gallons.

As summer draws nearer, so does corn sweat season.  Stay safe, and stay cool!