BlockSemmes, Alabama
19 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1942 and the latest in 1994. It stands in the Semmes census division. It lies in ZIP code area 36575. The Survey maps it on the Semmes quadrangle. 4,941 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 217 feet above sea level.
Topographic sheets covering this place
11 surveys from 19 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.
- 1942 USGS Wilmer quadrangle1:62500
- 1944 USGS Wilmer quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1953 USGS Mobile quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Mobile quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1960 USGS Mobile quadrangle1:250000
- 1963 USGS Mobile quadrangle1:250000
- 1965 USGS Mobile quadrangle1:250000
- 1982 USGS Semmes quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1984 USGS Mobile quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1984 USGS Mobile quadrangle1:100000
- 1994 USGS Mobile quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
467 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 467 fires within 5 miles of Semmes between 1994 and 2020, burning about 3,535 acres in total. 6 started naturally. 157 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 | 159 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 157 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 79 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 36 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 17 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 7 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 6 |
| Natural | 6 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 5 September 2002 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 2.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 4 September 1996 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 30 September 1995 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 30 September 1994 | Debris and open burning | 11 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 3 September 2011 | Debris and open burning | 10 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | AZALIA LANE (OAK GROVE), AL |
| 29 September 2003 | Debris and open burning | 1.7 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 29 September 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
9 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 9 workings within 5 miles of Semmes: 6 producers, 3 past producers. 6 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay, Sand and Gravel, Construction, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris Quarry | Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay | Producer | Unconsolidated Sediments | |
| Old Shell Road Quarry | Clay, Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | Unconsolidated Sediments | |
| Tommy Graham Pit No. 1 | Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Tommy Graham Pit No. 2 | Clay, Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Brunson Number 5 Quarry | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | Quartz | |
| Pit Camp No 3 | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| S.D. Tew Construction Co. Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unnamed Quarry | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | Quartz | |
| Unnamed Quarry | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | Quartz |
Storms near this place
41 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Semmes in 41 storm reports between 1995 and 2024: 20 thunderstorm wind, 10 hail, 4 tornado, 4 flash flood. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2006 | Lightning | Semmes | $800,000 | Lightning struck an elementary school just north of Semmes. The lightning struck the roof and a fire started in the ceiling. It took several hours to put the fire out. Most of the damage was confined to the roof and ceiling area. |
| June 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Semmes | $100,000 | High winds from a mesocyclone moving north across the area blew down several trees. Some of the trees landed on roofs of homes and automobiles. The high winds also caused some roof and outbuilding damage. Most of the damage was just north of U. S. Highway 98 west of Semmes. |
| July 2005 | Tornado (F0) | Semmes | $50,000 | A weak tornado developed along the fringes of Tropical Storm Cindy. The tornado touched down along Spice Pond road in Semmes. The tornado damaged several roofs and outbuildings and blew down trees along its path. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Semmes | $10,000 | Winds estimated at 60 mph downed trees on a house. |
| March 2016 | Flood | Semmes | $10,000 | Heavy rain caused flooding over both Nursery Road and Jeremy Drive. |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Semmes | $10,000 | High winds from a thunderstorm blew down several trees and power lines near Semmes. Penny size hail was also reported from the storm. |
| October 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Semmes | $6,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew powerlines down near Semmes. |
| August 2005 | Tornado (F0) | Semmes | $5,000 | A weak tornado developed along the outer bands of hurricane Katrina. The weak tornado blew down several trees and power lines near Semmes. |
| September 2002 | Tornado (F0) | Semmes | $5,000 | A weak tornado blew down several trees and caused some minor roof damage to a home near Semmes. The rapidly moving tornado also damaged a couple of outbuildings near the same location. |
| December 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Semmes | $4,000 | Winds estimated at 70 mph downed several trees. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Semmes | $3,000 | Winds estimated at 60 mph downed several trees east of Semmes. |
| January 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Semmes | $3,000 | A few trees were blown down along County Road 217 just north of Semmes near the community of Lott. |
| April 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Semmes | $3,000 | no account filed |
| March 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Semmes | $2,000 | Winds estimated at 60 mph downed a tree on Boothtown Road near Lott Road. |
| April 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Semmes | $2,000 | Severe thunderstorm winds blew down power lines along McCrary Rd between Spice Pond Rd and Lot Rd. |
| December 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Semmes | $1,500 | Several large limbs were blown down near the intersection of Howells Ferry and Snow roads just south of Semmes. |
| August 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Semmes | $1,000 | High winds blew several large limbs down along U. S. Highway 98 near Semmes. |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Semmes | $1,000 | High winds blew several large limbs down along US Highway 98 near Semmes. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Semmes | $1,000 | Several trees were blown down along Howells Ferry and Havens roads just southwest of Semmes. |
| April 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Semmes | - | High winds downed multiple trees on powerlines. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Semmes | - | High winds downed trees blocking AL 217 in both directions. |
| May 2022 | Hail | Semmes | - | Quarter size hail was reported near Mary Montgomery School. |
| December 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Semmes | - | High winds damaged a roof on an outbuilding at Loblolly farm. |
| April 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Semmes | - | High winds downed large tree limbs across northern Mobile County, especially near Lott and Spice Pond Roads. |
| April 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Semmes | - | A tree fell onto a home on Ranch House Drive. |
| October 2019 | Tornado (EF1) | Semmes | - | The tornado first touched down near Stone Road and continued north northwest, intensifying as it reached Jamaica Road and Box Road. This is where the tornado was the strongest, producing extensive tree damage, consistent with high end EF-1 intensity. The tornado continued north past Coleman Dairy Road, producing damage at a mobile home park. The tornado then crossed Lott Road and lifted shortly thereafter. |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Semmes | - | High winds downed trees and limbs. |
| March 2016 | Flash Flood | Semmes | - | Heavy rain caused flooding on Nursery Road and Jeremy Drive. |
| November 2006 | Flash Flood | Semmes | - | Heavy rains for several hours caused many roads in the west part of the county to flood. Many roads were closed due to high water. Rainfall totals of 5-7 inches inches were estimated across the area. |
| August 2005 | Lightning | Semmes | - | Lightning struck a tree in a pasture where two horses were standing. Both of the horses were killed by the strike. |
| February 2004 | Flash Flood | Semmes | - | Heavy rain along with pea to small marble size hail caused several streets to flood between Semmes and Spring Hill. Radar estimated three to five inches of rain fell across the area. Several of the streets had to be closed for about an hour to allow the water to drain. The small hail accumulated three to four inches deep, with some drifts as high as eight to ten inches against buildings. The combined weight of the hail and rain caused a wall at a Burger King to collapse. No one was injured. Some of the hail was still on the ground along shaded areas of buildings the next day. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Semmes | - | A severe thunderstorm produced a hail swath across the central portion of Mobile County from around Semmes to downtown Mobile. Numerous reports of golfball sized hail were received as the storm tracked southeast across the area. |
| May 2020 | Hail | Semmes | - | no account filed |
| September 2013 | Flash Flood | Semmes | - | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Hail | Semmes | - | no account filed |
| August 2006 | Hail | Semmes | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Hail | Semmes | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Hail | Semmes | - | no account filed |
| August 2003 | Hail | Semmes | - | no account filed |
| April 2000 | Hail | Semmes | - | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Hail | Semmes | - | no account filed |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Churchill Downs | 1.5 miles | 19 | |
| Red Creek Heights | 1.6 miles | 27 | |
| Crawford | 1.9 miles | 27 | |
| Lott | 2.3 miles | 19 | |
| Howells Ferry Heights | 2.4 miles | 24 | |
| Fairview | 2.5 miles | 19 | |
| Millertown | 3.0 miles | 19 | |
| Scenic Hills | 3.0 miles | 24 |
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 Semmes | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q79476 | 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 126546. 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.