Why Corn Makes Illinois One of the Most Humid States

This just in. Illinois is one of the most humid states in America according to science. Tell us something we don't know. How about this? Corn is one of the reasons why.

We're currently in the part of Spring when the warm temperatures feel comfortable. "Feels" is the key word here as World Atlas has taken a look at humidity and compiled a ranking of the most humid states in America. Illinois is easily in their top 10. Well, duh.

They compiled what is referred to as relative humidity which is a measure of how damp the air is in its simplest terms. Illinois is tied for the 8th most humid state title with a relative humidity of 71%. Whew. Maybe I should find a towel to wipe that sweat off of my brow.

Why is Illinois so dang humid anyway?

Yes, there is warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico that gets pulled up toward Illinois, but there's also corn to blame. Lots and lots of sweating corn and I'm not joking.

Here are some corn sweat numbers for you. There are 11 million acres of corn releasing an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 gallons of water per acre per day. That is a major contributor to humidity in Illinois. Yes, you can blame the corn because science proves it's at least partly to blame. The truth is that corn is only part of the picture as that warm and wet air from the gulf is the real villain. That's why everyone in Illinois loves their air conditioners. Better make sure yours is ready for the next few months ahead of us.