The Surprising Reason Illinois Summers Feel So Sticky

Ever wonder why Illinois feels like a sauna lately? You can blame an unexpected culprit: "corn sweat," a steamy side effect of the state's thriving cornfields.

Advantages of Midwest Living

I think that most Midwesterners would agree that living in this area comes with a few big advantages like the changing of seasons and beautiful farmland views, but for me, there are two big disadvantages as well:

1. Ice storms in the winter.
2. Humidity during the summer.

READ MORE: Health Officials Warn Of Rising West Nile Risk in Illinois

I have lived in Illinois my entire life and I still cannot get used to how humid it gets here during the summer. I absolutely hate when it's hot and humid, but I never knew the state's massive cornfields are part of the reason things get so sticky here.

What Is 'Corn Sweat'?

This morning I saw a post on Facebook that said the Midwest is currently more humid than Louisiana? Excuse me, what? That seemed unbelievable until I dug deeper.

Check this out:

Ok, now that I know "corn sweat" is real, I can't help but wonder how much water is a cornfield actually responsible for releasing into the atmosphere each day?

I was pretty shocked by this answer from DeKalb County Online;

During the growing season, an acre of corn gives off about 3,000- 4,000 gallons of water each day, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. For DeKalb County, that means corn provides about 669 to 892 million gallons of water into the atmosphere daily.

Since getting rid of moisture-releasing cornfields in Illinois isn't an option, I guess I'll just have to learn to live with the humidity...and spend a lot more time in my pool.