Wildfires prompted the closure of a major road linking the Florida Keys to the mainland several times this week.

"It will not take much to get a brush or grass fire to flare up and rapidly spread," one meteorologist told Newsweek.

NOAA breaks the calendar up into four meteorological ... These drier conditions are also expected for most of Florida and southern Georgia. Meanwhile, the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes region ...

There is a 50-60% chance that temperatures will be above normal in parts of the Southwest, southern Texas, southern Gulf States, including Florida and southern Georgia, the NOAA reports.

Credit: NOAA CPC Drought conditions in the Northern Plains and Southwest are expected to persist. Meanwhile, new drought developments are likely for parts of the Southern Plains and Florida.