Data from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows a good part of the southern region of the U.S. is very dry with some areas considered to be in an "extreme" or "exceptional drought."
Fox Weather forecasts 2-3 inches of rain is expected in some areas across a corridor stretching from eastern Oklahoma to Georgia through the weekend. Scattered thunderstorms are also possible.
Fox Weather forecaster Craig Herrera described those areas as “parched” but said a lot of rain is predicted.
Storm Prediction Center data also shows the threat of severe weather is increasing across the South during February and the rest of the spring.
For forecaster Britta Merwin said land surfaces are still impacted by recent freezing temperatures.
"On top of the soil being really dry, it has been very cold. This mild push of air is rather new. We did have a significant amount of time with significant cold air in place, and it takes a little bit of time for soil to rebound off of Arctic cold snaps. And so, if you can imagine, taking an ice cube and throwing water on top of it just creates a mess."
