What Factors Contributed To The Southeast Drought?

The South got a bit of relief from the ongoing drought this week as more rain soaked the region. Originating over Texas, the rain shifted to the Southeast over the weekend, now soaking Florida.

While it will take many more rounds to remove the drought completely, the parched region will take whatever Mother Nature can provide.

How Much Rain?

In terms of rainfall we have seen so far, Birmingham, Alabama, saw 3.09 inches of rainfall from April 28-29, setting the daily rainfall record for April 29 (0.99 inches) and accounting for 60% of the city's rainfall in April.

Some parts of Louisiana and southern Mississippi have picked up 2 to 4 inches of rain since Wednesday morning. Thursday's heavy rain flooded a section of Interstate 10 and at least one other street in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

And Beyond?

There is more good news.

According to the Climate Prediction Center, the 6- to 10-day rainfall outlook showed above-average precipitation expected for Florida and much of the Deep South as we head toward next weekend as another frontal system sweeps in.

(MAPS: 7-Day US Rainfall Forecast)

How Bad Is The Drought?

Long story short, it’s bad.

Every part of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Alabama is experiencing drought conditions. Arkansas and Florida are both 99% in drought. In fact, Florida is experiencing the worst drought in 25 years, writes senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman.

(WATCH: Fires Spread Across Southeast In Midst Of Widespread Drought)

Charleston, Columbia, Gainesville and Savannah are currently experiencing their driest spring seasons to date, according to the Southeast Regional Climate Center.

Here are the drought conditions from late April:

And here's what it looked like back in January:

Rob Shackelford is a meteorologist and climate scientist at weather.com. He received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Georgia studying meteorology and experimenting with alternative hurricane forecasting tools.