Corn Sweat Is Real, and It Could Be Making Summer Feel Worse

LOUISIANA - If you thought the Louisiana heat and humidity couldn't possibly get any worse, there's another culprit worth knowing about. It's called corn sweat.

We're not talking about corn literally sweating like a person after spending too much time outside. The term is a nickname for a process called evapotranspiration, and honestly, I had never heard about this until today and it's kind of fascinating.

So, what is corn sweat, why does it happen, and how much does it actually contribute to Louisiana's humidity?

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What Exactly Is Corn Sweat?

Corn sweat is the slang term for the moisture released by corn plants through a process called evapotranspiration. Corn plants pull water from the soil through their roots. That water then moves through the corn and eventually escapes through tiny openings in the leaves called stomata.

Dr. Shelly Pate Kerns, a corn specialist for LSU AgCenter tells myarklamiss.com corn plants do this when the temperatures start to get high so that they don't lose too much moisture because if they do, they won't grow.

Once that water is released into the atmosphere as water vapor, it adds moisture to the air.

How Much Water Can A Cornfield Put Into The Air?

Here's where things get pretty wild.

During peak growing periods, Dr. Kerns says that just one acre of corn can release roughly 3,000 to 5,000 gallons of water into the atmosphere in a day or two.

Think about how much water that is across a large farming region covered by thousands or even millions of acres of crops.

Can Corn Sweat Actually Make It Feel Hotter?

Corn doesn't create a heat wave, and it isn't responsible for the high temperatures themselves. Large-scale weather patterns, including high-pressure systems and stagnant air masses, are the primary drivers of major heat waves.

What corn can do is add moisture to the air.

And anybody who has spent a Louisiana summer outside knows that humidity can make a huge difference.

But, we can't necessarily blame corn for why Louisiana's humidity is so high.

From myarklamiss.com -

Dr. Kerns says that residents should not be concerned about corn sweat. While the amount of corn being grown is greater than in the past and it feels like it’s getting hotter every year, the effect that corn sweat has on humidity is small.

Trees, grass, other crops and natural vegetation also release water vapor. And in places like Louisiana and other parts of the South, there's another enormous source of moisture: the Gulf of Mexico.

Warm, humid air moving inland from the Gulf can have a much larger influence on Louisiana's summer humidity than anything happening in a nearby cornfield.

LOOK: These Are the Cooler Weather Traditions Louisianans Love

When temperatures start to drop even a couple of degrees in Louisiana, residents don't waste time celebrating the things they love that we usually only enjoy with lower temperatures.

If you're a person who loves living in the state of Louisiana, but you aren't necessarily in love with blazing temperatures, then you are not alone. People in Louisiana typically save some of these fun activities for when it feels a little cooler. Yes, we barbecue in the summer, but it's so much better when the temperature is a few degrees cooler and the humidity is lower.

What is your favorite way to celebrate cooler temperatures? Here are some examples.

Gallery Credit: Bernadette Lee

Source: What Is Corn Sweat? Why It Can Make Louisiana Feel Hotter