Hot, sticky, miserable?

Avoiding going outside where it’s too wet to breathe?

Blame it on the corn.

Sweltering temperatures in Mid-Michigan have been soaring, partly because of a new phenomenon that’s been circulating recently, sometimes called “corn sweat.” The scientific word for it is evapotranspiration, but more simply defined, corn sweat occurs when corn, soybeans and other crops release moisture as the atmospheric temperature rises. The process coined the term “sweat” because it’s similar to how we, as humans, perspire in the heat. One acre of corn can release about 4,000 gallons of moisture into the air. An acre is about the size of a football field. That, in tandem with the high heat, led to an extreme heat index.

The Great Lakes state was no stranger to the dangerous heat wave that swept through the Midwest on Tuesday, and Mid-Michigan is definitely feeling the wet sweat.

Tuesday’s storms came amid highs in the mid-90s with humidity of 80-some percent and a dew point of 71, which meteorologists describe as “oppressive and miserable.”

And despite highs 20 degrees cooler, Wednesday brought humidity again of 85 percent and a dew point that jumped to 72. The higher the moisture, the higher the dew point.

That’s a lot of wet in the air.

Corn sweat may more commonly be known as simple transpiration, but the truth remains: it’s groundwater that corn uses for nutrients, which is then released back into the atmosphere–and it’s making heat waves feel worse. Michigan farmers harvest 297 million bushels of corn from 2.3 million acres of farmland, according to the Michigan Agriculture Council.

While corn sweat and high moisture-levels don’t necessarily affect temperatures, they most certainly affect humidity and how it feels. By Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service deemed the “feels like” temperature as 100 degrees.

Jacob Dickey, meteorologist and weather expert, commented on the need for precaution when it comes to navigating high heat levels.

“All that added humidity stresses our bodies, preventing us from sweating and cooling off as efficiently in dry air. If you must work or be outside this week, take frequent breaks and try to avoid the peak heating of the day in the afternoon. Check on your neighbors who might be more susceptible to the heat as well.”