Corn sweat is real, and it's made extreme heat in the Midwest even more uncomfortable

Corn sweat is real. Corn draws in water, then releases it into the air through evaporation. And all that moisture produced by more than 90 million acres of corn nationwide can make it more humid.

Transcript

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

So, Michel, did you know that corn sweats?

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Leila, I confess that I did not.

FADEL: (Laughter) I didn't know either, but, I mean, it's been hot in the Midwest this summer. And apparently, corn has the same way of cooling off as we do, but corn sweat isn't the technical term, Michel. Here's meteorologist Dennis Todey.

DENNIS TODEY: The technical term for it is called transpiration, and it's part of the photosynthetic process, but then also helps to cool the plant, particularly during hot times of the year.

MARTIN: Todey directs the USDA's Midwest Climate Hub in Iowa, which is one of the country's two biggest corn-producing states. I confess I did know that.

FADEL: (Laughter).

MARTIN: He says corn sweat is a natural process where corn draws in water, then releases it into the air through evaporation.

FADEL: So that's great for the corn. But when more than 90 million acres of the crop across this country sweats, it releases a lot of moisture into the air, and it makes it more humid.

TODEY: It increases stress on humans because we can't sweat as well, and that sweat doesn't evaporate off us as well. So it's stressful being outside.

FADEL: And it's stressful because my hair in humidity - frizzy nightmare. And then at night, the temperatures don't drop as much.

TODEY: When we have these very high moisture conditions, we don't cool down as much at nighttime, so there's an interaction that goes on between the crop and the atmosphere.

MARTIN: Benji Jones grew up in Iowa. He is an environmental correspondent at Vox. And although he says he had not heard the term corn sweat until this year, he has felt its effects.

BENJI JONES: I definitely have lots of memories of playing outside in the summer and feeling just incredibly wet. Like, it's this feeling that you just cannot get comfortable. So even a fan, it doesn't do much for you 'cause you're just so sticky and gross, and it's awful.

MARTIN: But Jones says it is not fair to just blame one crop for the humidity.

JONES: Corn doesn't deserve to be the villain here. Like, every plant transpires. Every plant releases moisture. It's not that corn is, like, this superstar of sweating or something like that. And it has a great name, and, like, it sounds disgusting. It is disgusting. But, yeah, corn is not a villain.

FADEL: Everybody and every plant, apparently, sweats. Give corn a break.

(SOUNDBITE OF BLACK PRAIRIE'S "CHASING MARTHA") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.