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Mossy Head, Florida

17 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1934 and the latest in 1978. It stands in the DeFuniak Springs census division. It lies in ZIP code area 32435. It stands on Cowpen Branch. The Survey maps it on the Mossy Head quadrangle. It stands 259 feet above sea level.

Mossy Head within Walton County

Then and now

1934 to 1978

The same ground, surveyed 44 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Mossy Head, surveyed 1978
Topographic sheet of Mossy Head, surveyed 1934

Topographic sheets covering this place

8 surveys from 17 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Fires near this place

174 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 174 fires within 5 miles of Mossy Head between 1992 and 2020, burning about 500 acres in total. 6 started naturally. 10 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 burning38
Equipment and vehicle use36
Railroad operations and maintenance30
Missing data/not specified/undetermined21
Smoking11
Misuse of fire by a minor11
Arson/incendiarism10
Recreation and ceremony8
Natural6
Other causes2
Fireworks1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
8 September 2011Debris and open burningunder an acreFlorida Forest ServiceSHOREY (66)
24 September 2019Debris and open burning2.0 acresFlorida Forest ServiceSHOREY DR (66)
23 September 1999Misuse of fire by a minor11 acresFlorida Forest Servicenot named
17 September 2015Debris and open burning1.0 acresFlorida Forest ServicePOINSETTA DR (66)
16 September 2001Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreFlorida Forest Servicenot named
13 September 1997Debris and open burningunder an acreFlorida Forest Servicenot named
13 September 1997Debris and open burning1.5 acresFlorida Forest Servicenot named
18 August 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreFlorida Forest ServiceWILLIAMS ROAD (66)

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Walton County

Mines and quarries near this place

9 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 9 workings within 5 miles of Mossy Head: 6 producers, 3 past producers. 6 still produce. What was taken out: Sand, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Mossy Head MineSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Unnamed Sand DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unnamed Sand DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unnamed Sand PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Campbell Sand and Gravel - Mossy Head MineSandProducer
David Johnson - David JohnsonSandProducer
Edward M. Chadburn, Inc. - Mossy HeadSandProducer
Mossy Head (Adams Sand Co.)SandProducer
Rodney G. Greenway, Inc. - Mossy HeadSandProducer

Every working recorded in Walton County

Storms near this place

23 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Mossy Head in 23 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 11 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, 5 tornado, 1 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
October 2004Thunderstorm WindMossy Head$5,000Minor damage to a barn roof reported by the Walton County EMA.
January 1997Thunderstorm WindMossy Head$5,000no account filed
March 2025Thunderstorm WindMossy Head$4,000Several trees and power lines were blown down on Bob Sikes Road off of Highway 285.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindMossy Head$4,000Numerous trees were blown down across the western side of the county. Monetary damage was estimated.
December 2024Thunderstorm WindMossy Head$3,000Chelco had 283 customers without power scattered across the county. In addition, the dispatch mentioned branches down on highways.
April 2014Thunderstorm WindMossy Head$1,000A light pole was blown down at a store south of I-10 at MM70. Monetary damage was estimated.
October 1995Tornado (F0)Mossy Head$1,000A funnel cloud was sighted over Eglin Air Force Base and touched down at Mossey Head doing roof damage to the a General Store.
November 2006Thunderstorm WindMossy Head$500Several trees down on State Highway 85 near the Walton-Okaloosa County line.
January 2024Thunderstorm WindMossy Head-A tree was blown down onto Highway 285.
January 2024Thunderstorm WindMossy Head-Two large trees blew down.
May 2024Tornado (EF0)Mossy Head-A brief EF0 tornado touched down in western Walton county with damage to trees and vegetation. A TDS was observed on EVX radar, and hi-resolution satellite images confirmed tree damage along the path.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindMossy Head-A tree was blown down along I-10 in northern Walton county.
March 2019Tornado (EF0)Mossy Head-An EF-0 tornado touched down on Eglin AFB property in Walton County. The tornado produced scattered tree damage before exiting the base near Pleasant Ridge Road. The tornado continued northeast, crossing I-10 just west of the U.S. 331 exit, and then dissipating just southwest of Defuniak Springs. Damage was primarily confined to trees.
February 2017Thunderstorm WindMossy Head-Two large trees were blown down east of Mossy Head Park and School on Highway 90.
November 2015Tornado (EF0)Mossy Head-A brief tornado touched down on Eglin Air Force Base property in western Walton county. There are no structures in this area to impact, but a brief dual-pol tornadic debris signature was observed on KEVX radar with the storm. A soil conservation technician from Eglin AFB was dispatched to investigate the area for any signs of a tornado. The technician found green twigs of swampbay magnolia (Magnolia Virginiana) that were displaced 200 yards downstream from where they grow at the exact coordinates of the tornadic debris signature seen on dual-pol radar. The tornado was rated EF0.
April 2014HailMossy Head-Quarter size hail was reported at a store just south of I-10 at MM70.
April 2014Flash FloodMossy Head-A car was stuck in water on High Note Road due to flash flooding.
April 2009HailMossy Head-Golf ball size hail was reported.
July 2009HailMossy Head-Quarter size hail was observed in Mossy Head.
March 2009Tornado (EF0)Mossy Head-A weak tornado briefly touched down near Interstate 10 mile marker 74 just west of Mossy Head. It uprooted numerous trees, which closed several lanes. No traffic accidents or injuries were reported.
July 2007HailMossy Head-Nickel size hail was reported.
April 2005HailMossy Head-Quarter size hail reported by a EMS unit on Interstate 10 near mile marker 73.
May 2010HailMossy Head-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Walton County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Forest Highlands4.4 miles18
Pond Creek5.1 miles13
Alpine Heights5.6 miles17
Liberty7.6 miles12
Cosson Mill7.7 miles17
Ealum7.7 miles12
New Harmony7.8 miles13
Pleasant Ridge8.2 miles17

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 Mossy HeadAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q16895403The 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 287180. 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.