Normally April showers bring May flowers, but the lack of precipitation this month has caused problems across the state.

The dry weather has caused State Fire Marshall Roy Marshall, to declare a ban on outdoor burning in 39 Iowa counties, including Story County, and has kept Iowa farmers looking for rain.

The outdoor burning ban went into effect at 8 a.m. Monday and will remain in effect until further notice. Barbecue grills and outdoor incinerators with lids are the only exceptions to the ban.

The ban affects all cities and rural areas. Anyone found burning items outdoors can be charged with a simple misdemeanor.

State Climatologist Harry Hillaker said the burning ban is due to the vegetation not yet coming out of winter dormancy from a lack of moisture. This has caused grass fires throughout southeast Iowa and the Cedar Rapids area.

“It’s somewhat unusual for April to have grass fire problems,” he said. “We’re waiting for new grass to grow.”

Hillaker said the weather should be dryer than usual in the early part of the planting season this year. “Chances are we should get above average hotter temperatures.”

Mark Baden, meteorologist for WOI-TV, said Iowa’s average is three and a half inches of precipitation during the month of April, but relatively little precipitation has been received.

John Creswell, ISU Extension Service crop specialist for central Iowa, said farmers should be able to plant soon, possibly within the next week, but shouldn’t be in a hurry to plant this spring. He recommends planting somewhere from April 20 to 22.

“I’m more concerned about down the line moisture. We’ve got enough top soil moisture for planting. It’s subsoil moisture I’m worried about,” he said.

He is awaiting the results of subsoil samples he took Friday to find out more information on how the ground conditions will be for the year.

He said farmers shouldn’t overwork the ground with too much tillage since it dries out the top soil. Creswell said other extension climatologists have predicted a 50 percent chance of drought this year.

Baden said that to help lift the burning ban and to get the needed moisture for farmers, Iowa will need “a lot of good soaking rainfall, an inch of rain for the next six weeks to make a real dent.”

He says people shouldn’t worry too much about a drought. “There’s a long way to go yet.”