BlockWalker Chapel, Alabama
30 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1889 and the latest in 1997. It stands in the Birmingham census division. It lies in ZIP code area 35068. The Survey maps it on the Birmingham North quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
14 surveys from 30 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.
- 1889 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:125000
- 1892 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:125000
- 1895 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:125000, 2 printings
- 1904 USGS Birmingham Coal District quadrangle1:62500
- 1906 USGS Birmingham Coal District quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1906 USGS Birmingham Special quadrangle1:62500
- 1907 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:125000, 5 printings
- 1953 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1956 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Birmingham quadrangle1:250000
- 1959 USGS Birmingham North quadrangle1:24000, 6 printings
- 1975 USGS Birmingham North quadrangle1:24000
- 1984 USGS Birmingham North quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1997 USGS Birmingham North quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
119 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 119 fires within 5 miles of Walker Chapel between 1994 and 2020, burning about 955 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 49 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 |
|---|---|
| Arson/incendiarism | 49 |
| Debris and open burning | 31 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 17 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 6 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 5 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Other causes | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 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 1995 | Recreation and ceremony | 1.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 6 September 1995 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 7.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 26 September 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 10 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | 20190926-8 |
| 24 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | NER-20150924-001 |
| 19 September 2007 | Railroad operations and maintenance | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 14 September 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 1.0 acres | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 14 September 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | not named |
| 13 September 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Alabama Forestry Commission | 4309 SUNFLOWER STREET, AL |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
6 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 6 workings within 5 miles of Walker Chapel: 3 unknowns, 1 past producer, 1 producer, 1 occurrence. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Iron, Stone, Crushed/Broken. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citadel Cement Operation | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Dolcito Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Unnamed | Iron | Unknown | ||
| Unnamed | Iron | Unknown | ||
| Unnamed | Iron | Unknown | ||
| Unnamed Prospect | Iron | Occurrence |
Storms near this place
4 since 2008Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Walker Chapel in 4 storm reports between 2008 and 2021: 1 hail, 1 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. The reports record 1 death and 30 injuries. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2021 | Tornado (EF3) | Walker Chapel | 1 killed, 30 hurt | National Weather Service meteorologists surveyed damage in northern Jefferson County and determined that it was consistent with an EF3 tornado, with maximum winds near 150 mph. The tornado began along Chapel Hills Parkway, where minor shingle damage occurred. The tornado tracked northeastward across Ellard Road and directly over the Walker Chapel Road overpass on Interstate 65. It was at this interstate exit where the tornado began to intensify rapidly, snapping numerous power poles and causing substantial damage to a hotel. The tornado continued northeastward, crossing Highway 31, causing mostly tree damage along the highway. As the tornado moved into residential areas along Fulton Drive and Lykes Boulevard, substantial damage occurred with several homes being destroyed with at least one being swept off the foundation. There was also significant tree damage in the neighborhood. Several homes along Georgetown Lane suffered significant damage as wind breached garage doors, aiding in complete roof loss in some cases. Other damage included destroyed fences, sheds, and lofting of a hot tub. Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped.||As the tornado continued toward the northeast, it paralleled Carson Road and caused substantial damage to homes along Meida Circle, Darlene Drive, and New Castle Road. Buildings in an industrial area along Carson Road were damaged, including a fleet of vehicles at Hurst Towing. The damage along New Castle Road was widespread with a few trees debarked or snapped half way down the trunk, and debris from homes thrown considerable distances. The tornado began to weaken somewhat after crossing North Pine Hill Road, but still caused minor damage to the Fultondale High School and a wooded area to the east. As it continued eastward crossing Indian Valley Road, several trees were uprooted and a few homes received minor damage. Along Highway 79, dozens of mobile homes were damaged by falling trees in the Rusk Mobile Home Park. The tornado then crossed Highway 75 in Center Point, where trees and power lines were downed near the Jefferson County Multi-Services Facility. The tornado began to weaken further at this point, but still produced a narrow discernable track of EF0 damage just east of Center Point Lake, where trees were uprooted and minor roof and structural damage occurred. Nearing the end of its life cycle, the tornado turned northward before dissipating near Country View Court in the Arrowhead subdivision of Center Point. |
| April 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Walker Chapel | - | Power lines downed at the intersection of Kathy Lane and Walker Chapel Road. |
| August 2009 | Flash Flood | Walker Chapel | - | Up to six inches of water was flowing across Walker Chapel Road, in Fultondale. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Walker Chapel | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frances Heights | 0.9 miles | 30 | |
| Glendale | 1.0 miles | 30 | |
| Fulton Springs | 1.4 miles | 30 | |
| Fultondale | 1.5 miles | 30 | |
| Upper Coalburg | 1.6 miles | 30 | |
| Fultondale Estates | 1.7 miles | 30 | |
| Lewisburg | 1.9 miles | 30 | |
| Hayes Highland | 2.0 miles | 30 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 153864. 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.