The combination of a record warm ocean stronger-than-normal Bermuda high and stalled lows and associated fronts we have heat wave conditions within one of the wettest atmosphere’s you’ll see. An historic day-after-day deluge continues over Louisiana while a hot, steamy, sticky, suffocating blanket covers the Ohio Valley and East Coast raising heat indexes to dangerous levels.

A record warm ocean maximises amount of available water within the atmospheric column.

A sprawling 594dm high covering the Eastern US is responsible for the widespread 90-degree heat but drought is also likely enhancing the level of surface heating.

That is one thing but winds blowing off 85-90F water lapping the Gulf and South Atlantic shoreline as well as over wet ground has led to 75-80F dew points from Gulf Coast all the way to Michigan and Maine.

Anthony Sagliani posted these two temp/dew point charts this afternoon and states how rare this is over such a vast area.

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The Bermuda high is one this but the deep low over Hudson Bay is playing a key role in the situation.

Scene from Tangipahoa, LA.

A frontal system connected between the Gulf and Hudson Bay low will see tremendous amounts of moisture run along it this weekend hence flooding rains into the Mississippi Valley.

See today’s video.

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