What does “sweaty corn”, a parched corn belt, heat waves here and in Japan all have in common?  They are all covered in today’s blog.

More than a dozen states from Texas to North Dakota have advisories for excessive heat today.  The high heat and humidity will nudge north and west arriving here on Sunday and lasting through most of next week.   As the graphic above shows, the heat index values will climb to at least 100 to 105.  The National Weather Service has some tips on staying cool.

“Sweaty corn” might be contributing to our heat waves in the midwest.    The processes that make up evapotranspiration include evaporation and transpiration.   Transpiration is the evaporation of water from plant leaves.  So in effect, plants “sweat” in a way similar to how we sweat.   So “sweaty corn” in the midwest might be making our heat waves even more miserable.   Check out The Weather Channel’s recent explanation of this phenomenen.

Speaking of the corn belt…
 

The forecast for rain during this upcoming heat wave does not show much promise for the corn belt which is now struggling through a 30-day dry spell.   According to Illinois state climatologist Jim Angel, we need about 1.4″ of rain each week to make up for the loss of moisture through evaporation and transpiration.   Corn in certain types of soils is already showing some signs of stress.

Japan is dealing with its own heat wave.   The government there has appealed to its citizens to cut back on the a.c. to avoid blackouts and take pressure off of the power grids.   The result is a quadrupling of deaths from heat stroke.   At least 26 have died from heat stroke since June 1st and over 12,000 have been hospitalized for heatstroke.   Parts of Japan, including Tokyo, have experienced some of the hottest weather there in 50 years.

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