Compass Lake, Florida
15 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1952 and the latest in 1994. It stands in the Alford census division. It lies in ZIP code area 32420. It stands on Sewell Branch. The Survey maps it on the Compass Lake quadrangle.
Then and now
1952 to 1994The same ground, surveyed 42 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.


Compare 1952 against another survey:
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 15 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.
- 1952 USGS Compass Lake quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1954 USGS Tallahassee quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1959 USGS Tallahassee quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Tallahassee quadrangle1:250000
- 1979 USGS Marianna quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1982 USGS Compass Lake quadrangle1:24000
- 1988 USGS Tallahassee quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1994 USGS Compass Lake quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
222 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 222 fires within 5 miles of Compass Lake between 1992 and 2020, burning about 1,494 acres in total. 14 started naturally. 16 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 | 85 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 30 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 22 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 16 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 15 |
| Natural | 14 |
| Other causes | 11 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 10 |
| Smoking | 10 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 6 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 September 2014 | Other causes | under an acre | Florida Forest Service | HIGHLAND (32) |
| 30 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7.0 acres | Florida Forest Service | TOLLIVER RD (03) |
| 23 September 1999 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 6.0 acres | Florida Forest Service | not named |
| 21 September 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2.0 acres | Florida Forest Service | PINE LANE ROAD (07) |
| 2 September 1999 | Smoking | under an acre | Florida Forest Service | not named |
| 18 September 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Florida Forest Service | COMPASS LAKE DR. (32) |
| 17 September 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 acres | Florida Forest Service | 67/WAXMANSKI-0954 |
| 1 September 1993 | Equipment and vehicle use | 4.0 acres | Florida Forest Service | not named |
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 Compass Lake: 4 unknowns, 2 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Co. Bd. of Co. Comm. - Compass Lake Mine | Sand | Unknown | ||
| Lenny Prutzman - Prutzman Mine | Sand | Unknown | ||
| Round Lake City Pit | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Stearne's J A Clay Pit | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Washington Co. Comm. - Quail Hollow Mine | Clay | Unknown | ||
| Whit Construction Company, Inc. - Speers Mine | Sand | Unknown |
Storms near this place
9 since 2004Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Compass Lake in 9 storm reports between 2004 and 2025: 4 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 1 flash flood, 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2024 | Tornado (EF1) | Compass Lake | $5,000 | This tornado touched down in far northeast Bay county, travelled through far northwest Calhoun county, and ended in Jackson county. The Bay county portion of the tornado is rated EF0. The Calhoun and Jackson county portions of the tornado are rated EF1 with max winds estimated at 90 mph. The tornado began in northeastern Bay county where it touched down in a wooded area between US 231 and NW County road 274 snapping several trees. Multiple trees along NW County road 167 were snapped or uprooted. The track continued to the northeast into Jackson county where it crossed through forested land before crossing Freeman Road. The tornado continued through another wooded area before moving parallel with Grand Mesa Avenue where several trees were uprooted or snapped. The tornado then continued through another wooded area before crossing Varsey Lane where it damaged some small outbuilding sheds as well as snapped a few trees. The tornado continued to track parallel to Varsey Lane to the northeast before snapping tree tops along its path before lifting just beyond Celestial Lane in another wooded area. The tornado reached its maximum width of approximately 450 yards as well as its maximum intensity as it crossed NW county road 167 with the most widespread tree damage observed at this point. |
| April 2015 | Flash Flood | Compass Lake | $5,000 | Portions of City Square Road were washed out between Highway 231 and Lakepoint Road. Damage was estimated. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Compass Lake | $2,000 | A downed tree and power line was reported in the Compass Lake area. |
| January 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Compass Lake | $2,000 | Trees were blown down with power lines on Freeman Road and Highway 231. |
| December 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Compass Lake | $2,000 | A power outage due to strong thunderstorm winds affected 45 customers near Compass Lake. |
| January 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Compass Lake | - | Two trees were blown down and blocking Nortek Blvd. |
| December 2016 | Flood | Compass Lake | - | Freeman Road at the west end was flooded and closed due to a long duration of moderate to heavy rainfall. |
| April 2004 | Hail | Compass Lake | - | Penny size hail reported by the Jackson County Sheriff. |
| June 2014 | Hail | Compass Lake | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round Lake | 4.1 miles | 15 | |
| Kent Mill | 5.6 miles | 15 | |
| Alford | 7.0 miles | 15 | |
| Steele City | 9.1 miles | 15 | |
| Kynesville | 9.8 miles | 12 | |
| Sink Creek | 12.9 miles | 13 | |
| Rock Creek | 13.0 miles | 13 | |
| Simsville | 13.1 miles | 13 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 280688. 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.







