Widespread rain over the weekend broke a record dry spell and prompted fire officials to lift a burn ban.

The ban on open burning was issued March 10 after a series of grass and wildland fires were started accidentally by homeowners burning debris or torching weeds. A blaze in Athol on March 6 burned roughly 50 acres.

Shane O'Shea, assistant fire warden for the Idaho Department of Lands, said the ban was rescinded Monday by consensus of fire chiefs throughout Kootenai County.

"The amount of precipitation was pretty widespread and it was an amount significant enough to lessen the fire dangers, so people can burn safely right now," O'Shea said. "We ask that people still get a permit where applicable."

O'Shea said this is the time of year for property owners to do their yard cleanups to reduce the risk of wildfires later.

But the recent rain is a short-term fix.

O'Shea said several more frequent rainfalls are needed before citizens can breathe easier about the upcoming fire season.

Climatologist Cliff Harris said the rain was "drought-busting." The first 10 days of March were the driest ever recorded, he said.

Harris said the area hasn't seen such a lack of snow over the six-week period from Feb. 1 to mid-March since 1895.

But that changed this weekend when a pineapple connection pushed over the region, Harris said.

"We don't normally get storms like this in March," Harris said. "It was the third-biggest storm in March since 1895."

Rainfall on Sunday, at 1.46 inches, broke the previous record for that date by nearly an inch, Harris said.

"Many of the arborists here have been saying that the trees were real dry and they needed water. Ma Nature came through," Harris said. "That's a very, very good bonus for us, and perhaps for the huckleberries down the road."

Harris said he sees three more storms on the way over the next seven days. But he said people should still be cautious when burning.