Barnwell, Alabama
18 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1921 and the latest in 1978. It stands in the Fairhope census division. It lies in ZIP code area 36532. The Survey maps it on the Point Clear quadrangle. It stands 72 feet above sea level.
Topographic sheets covering this place
9 surveys from 18 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1921 USGS Point Clear quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1941 USGS Weeks Bay quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1943 USGS Weeks Bay quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1956 USGS Point Clear quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1957 USGS Pensacola quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1959 USGS Pensacola quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Pensacola quadrangle1:250000
- 1966 USGS Point Clear quadrangle1:24000
- 1978 USGS Pensacola quadrangle1:100000, 3 printings
Fires near this place
76 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 76 fires within 5 miles of Barnwell between 1995 and 2018, burning about 692 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 19 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 42 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 19 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 2 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Natural | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 1997 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 7 September 1997 | Arson/incendiarism | 2.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 5 September 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 28 September 2000 | Debris and open burning | 20 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 20 September 2018 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20180920-1 |
| 7 August 2018 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20180807-3 |
| 4 August 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20160804-2 |
| 18 August 1999 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Barnwell: 2 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Fairhope Mine | Clay | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
5 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Barnwell in 5 storm reports between 1995 and 2023: 3 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2002 | Tornado (F0) | Barnwell | $10,000 | A weak tornado downed trees and power lines near the Barnwell community. The same storm produced some minor roof damage and downed more trees near Elsanor a few minutes later. |
| February 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Barnwell | $5,000 | Trees, limbs and power lines were blown down in Barnwell and along Highway 90 near Elsanor in south Baldwin County. |
| June 2023 | Flash Flood | Barnwell | - | Water was rapidly flowing over roadways and approaching homes in Barnwell, AL. |
| September 2020 | Flash Flood | Barnwell | - | Hurricane Sally produced 10 to 20 inches of rain over south central Baldwin County from Interstate 10 south to Highway 98 and 5 to 10 inches north of Interstate 10. This resulted in extensive and major flash flooding and flooding across the area, with the greatest impact along and south of Interstate 10. Even after the rain stopped Wednesday morning, numerous small streams, creeks, and rivers continued to rapidly rise. Numerous homes and vehicles were flooded and road closures were widespread. The Fish River in Silvherhill crested at 20.71 feet, which is the third highest crest on record. The Styx River near Elsanor crested near 22.8 feet, which is the second highest crest on record. The river gauge stopped reporting as the crest was happening. |
| July 2013 | Flash Flood | Barnwell | - | Flooding of water at least 6 inches in depth reported along Highway 98 near Barnwell. |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey Branch | 2.3 miles | 18 | |
| Bayside | 3.2 miles | 18 | |
| Yupon | 3.5 miles | 18 | |
| Point Clear | 4.0 miles | 18 | |
| River Park | 4.0 miles | 18 | |
| Marlow | 4.9 miles | 18 | |
| Houstonville | 5.4 miles | 21 | |
| Battles Wharf | 5.4 miles | 18 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Barnwell | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2884727 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 113509. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.








