It may be hot as the dickens right now, but a statement that arrived Thursday afternoon brought a reminder of winterlike weather.

The USDA this week designated nine Iowa counties as primary natural disaster areas due to April freezes that occurred after plants had gotten a rapid start due to the record warmth in March.

The counties: Audubon, Delaware, Jackson, Chickasaw, Greene, Johnson, Clayton, Harrison and Lee. Farmers and ranchers in neighboring counties, including Burt and Washington in Nebraska, also will qualify for assistance under federal guidelines.

Early April followed the model of previous weeks - exceptionally warm, said Harry Hillaker, state climatologist for Iowa. The temperature at Sioux City reached 93 degrees on April 1.

But then several hard and light freezes occurred at different times across the state.

The worst cold snap occurred April 10 and 11, Hillaker said. Sibley, in northwest Iowa, recorded the state's low temperature on April 11 of 15 degrees.