No open burning in Floyd County

No open burning in Floyd County

No rain in Charles City since Sept. 18

As Charles City’s high temperature Monday crept up to within 4 degrees of the record set in 1953, the fire department was on alert.

Floyd County is now under an open burn ban, reflecting worries about a dry and windy autumn that have led to bans in Mitchell and Chickasaw Counties and eight other counties.

The most recent rainfall in Charles City was 0.07 of an inch on Sept. 18.

Through Monday, the area has seen 23.49 inches of rain for the year, according to the National Weather Service.

The average total by now is 30.75 inches.

The weather service forecast puts the chance of showers today at about 30 percent. Showers are more likely on Friday.

The no open burning order, released Oct. 16 through the Iowa Department of Public Safety, blocks open burning of small yard fires/campfires and large prairie or prescribed field fires until Charles City Fire Chief Eric Whipple notifies the State Fire Marshal that the ban can be lifted.

The DPS tracks requests online on the basis of the Grassland Fire Danger Index, created by the National Weather Service as a rating advisory of high fire risk. The NWS issues warnings for counties that fall in very high or extreme conditions likely to contribute to fires, the top two categories out of five.

While this weather is abnormally warm, on this date in 1982, Marble Rock recorded its wettest October day with 3.05 inches of rain, according to the weather service.

Staff Report