Mid-July to mid-August is when crops in the Midwest release the most water because of the combination of their maturity and peak heat.

In Iowa, corn pumps out "a staggering 49 to 56 billion gallons of water into the atmosphere each day" throughout the state, the National Weather Service said. That can add 5 to 10 degrees to the dew point, a measure of the humidity in the air, on a hot summer day.

It’s not that corn sweats more than other plants — an acre releases less moisture on average than, say, a large oak tree — but the Midwest has a lot of corn in late July. In Iowa, for example, more than two-thirds of the area is farmland, and corn is the top crop (followed by soybeans, which, by the way, also sweat).

Corn sweat. Yes, the term for how the crop can drive up the humidity through a process called evapotranspiration is a thing. How much of a thing is corn sweat, though?

The millions of acres of corn grown in states like Ohio, Illinois and Iowa perspire just like any other plant. A single acre sweats 3,000 to 4,000 gallons of water every day.

Growing season is the peak time for corn sweat, especially in the mid to late summer, according to the National Weather Service. Corn sweat contributes most to humidity during July and August.

As we experience some uncomfortable humidity in the Northwoods this week, you may have heard the term “corn sweat” being thrown around.

Corn sweats just like we do, and when it does, it causes the humidity around it to spike. It's a phenomenon called "corn sweat." ‘Sit up straight while I talk to you’: Idaho university massacre victims confront killer in court Emmanuel and Brigitte ...