A blocking high pressure will prevent much abundant moisture from reaching the area, but it will still feel quite humid as the next heat wave sets in this week. How can that be possible with such little rain over the last week? Where is that moisture coming from?
Since we live in the corn belt, a lot of our summertime humidity is actually released by the expansive corn fields. "Corn sweat" is another way to describe evapotranspiration, or the process of moisture evaporating from corn fields into the air, raising humidity levels. One acre of corn can release up to three to four thousand gallons of water into the air each day. All of that added moisture increases the dew point and the humidity which we then feel on hot summer days.
But there will be another feature playing into our upcoming heat wave that may limit the more oppressive humidity levels. That process is called atmospheric mixing. With the very dry ridge of high pressure overhead, there is a lot of very dry air above the surface. Some of that air can be mixed down toward the ground, lowering the humidity a bit. However, since dry air heats up faster than moist air, daily temperatures may rise a bit higher than they would with more abundant moisture.
Our dew points will likely range from the mid-60s to the low 70s most days, which would feel pretty humid especially paired with the incoming heat. Tuesday and Wednesday in particular will be very hot, with temperatures into the low/mid 90s. Wednesday may not quite mix out as much moisture as Tuesday, so I think the heat index may reach a little higher despite a similar temperature forecast. Point being, it will be another hot and humid stretch ahead, so be sure you are practicing heat safety tips including staying hydrated and using lots of sunscreen if you must be out for extended periods of time!
No comments:
Post a Comment