Let's agree to a couple of things before we get too far into this article: Yes, it's summer in the Evansville area. And yes, summertime in the Evansville area is almost always hot and humid. No one is disputing that.
But if you feel like this summer has been especially brutal for the Tri-State, you're right.
A number of factors have worked together to create one of the hottest, humid and most uncomfortable summers in recorded city history. We talked to Sean Poulos, a meteorlogist with the National Weather Service about it.
First, let's discuss dew points
In a world where temperatures, heat indices and realtive humidity dominate weather discussion, one of the best measures of how things actually feel outside is the dew point. When the air temperature and dew point match, you get dew.
In warmer months, the lower the dew point (say, in the 50s), the more comfortable and dry the air feels.
Here's a quick look at dew point levels according to the National Weather Service:
• Below 50 degrees: Very dry, very comfortable.
• 50-55 degrees: Pleasant and comfortable.
• 56-60 degrees: Comfortable, but with a hint of stickiness.
• 61-65 degrees: A bit sticky and noticeable humidity.
• 66-70 degrees: It's getting uncomfortable out there.
• 71-75 degrees: Oppressive. It's tough to cool off at this point.
• 76 degrees and higher: Miserable, oppressive, nasty. It's a jungle out there.
Tri-State dew points have been historically high this summer
Poulos provided the Courier & Press with a list of peak dew points for each day of meteorological summer so far in 2025.
Summer misery kicked in on June 13. That day, the peak dew point reached 70 degrees (oppressive). Of the next 45 days, 42 saw dew points reach the 70s.
Things reached a whole other level starting July 14, Poulus noted. That day sparked a streak where dew points reached the "miserable" level (75 degrees) that is ongoing. There has been no relief, even at night, from the muggy conditions.
On Monday, the dew point reached 80 degrees. The all-time record for the city is 81 degrees.
Where does this 'miserable' streak rank in city history?
The National Weather Service expects the humidity to be exteme through at least Wednesday. That would take the streak to 17 straight days of at least 75 degree dew points.
That would rank second in recorded city history, trailing only the summer of 1988, when there were 23 such straight days from July 29 through Aug. 20.
Why is this happening?
The first factor Poulos points to is all the rain.
"A large part of it is how wet it has been. It's been a wet summer," he said. "(Evansville is) 2.5 inches of rain above normal for July and 4.65 inches of rain above normal for the summer.
"We've had 13 inches of rain since June 1. That has contributed some."
The second factor: The weather pattern has been stagnant.
"We haven't had a cold front come through since July 2," Poulos said.
There's a ridge over the Southeast that has kept the hot, humid conditions in place, he said.
In a normal summer, Poulos said, we'll have stretches of 70-degree dew point days, that run for 10 days or so. "Then we'll get a break for a few days before it goes back up," he said.
This summer, the humidity kicked in after a relatively mild couple of weeks in early June, and it hasn't eased up since.
"It's been pretty dang relentless," Poulos said.
The corn isn't helping things
There's also the impact that agriculture has on the humidity. It's a phenomenon known as "corn sweat."
"So plants, like corn, they absorb moisture from the ground and then release it back into the air through a process called evapotranspiration, through their leaves," Poulos said. "(With all the rain), we've had more moisture in the soil. So there's more for the plants to absorb and then it's released back into the air."
It's the duration of the humidity that has made things feel so awful, Poulos argued.
Relief is on the way. Will it last?
The weather pattern is finally expected to break this week. A cold front − the first since early July − will sweep through the region late Wednesday into early Thursday.
That front will knock the dew points back into the 60s, and maybe even the upper 50s.
Poulos said it will be a noticeable, much needed, refreshing change.
"How long that lasts is somewhat uncertain," he said. "The eight- to 14-day forecast shows a return to slightly above normal temperatures."