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.
Then and now
1934 to 1978The 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 sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 17 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.
- 1934 USGS Niceville quadrangle1:48000
- 1936 USGS Niceville quadrangle1:62500, 4 printings
- 1956 USGS Niceville quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Pensacola quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1959 USGS Pensacola quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Pensacola quadrangle1:250000
- 1973 USGS Mossy Head quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1978 USGS Crestview quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
174 since 1992Regional 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 burning | 38 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 36 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 30 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 21 |
| Smoking | 11 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 11 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 10 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 8 |
| Natural | 6 |
| Other causes | 2 |
| Fireworks | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2011 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Florida Forest Service | SHOREY (66) |
| 24 September 2019 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Florida Forest Service | SHOREY DR (66) |
| 23 September 1999 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 11 acres | Florida Forest Service | not named |
| 17 September 2015 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Florida Forest Service | POINSETTA DR (66) |
| 16 September 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Florida Forest Service | not named |
| 13 September 1997 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Florida Forest Service | not named |
| 13 September 1997 | Debris and open burning | 1.5 acres | Florida Forest Service | not named |
| 18 August 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Florida Forest Service | WILLIAMS ROAD (66) |
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 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 | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mossy Head Mine | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unnamed Sand Deposit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unnamed Sand Deposit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unnamed Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Campbell Sand and Gravel - Mossy Head Mine | Sand | Producer | ||
| David Johnson - David Johnson | Sand | Producer | ||
| Edward M. Chadburn, Inc. - Mossy Head | Sand | Producer | ||
| Mossy Head (Adams Sand Co.) | Sand | Producer | ||
| Rodney G. Greenway, Inc. - Mossy Head | Sand | Producer |
Storms near this place
23 since 1995Regional 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mossy Head | $5,000 | Minor damage to a barn roof reported by the Walton County EMA. |
| January 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mossy Head | $5,000 | no account filed |
| March 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mossy Head | $4,000 | Several trees and power lines were blown down on Bob Sikes Road off of Highway 285. |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mossy Head | $4,000 | Numerous trees were blown down across the western side of the county. Monetary damage was estimated. |
| December 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mossy Head | $3,000 | Chelco had 283 customers without power scattered across the county. In addition, the dispatch mentioned branches down on highways. |
| April 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mossy Head | $1,000 | A light pole was blown down at a store south of I-10 at MM70. Monetary damage was estimated. |
| October 1995 | Tornado (F0) | Mossy Head | $1,000 | A funnel cloud was sighted over Eglin Air Force Base and touched down at Mossey Head doing roof damage to the a General Store. |
| November 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mossy Head | $500 | Several trees down on State Highway 85 near the Walton-Okaloosa County line. |
| January 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mossy Head | - | A tree was blown down onto Highway 285. |
| January 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mossy Head | - | Two large trees blew down. |
| May 2024 | Tornado (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 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mossy Head | - | A tree was blown down along I-10 in northern Walton county. |
| March 2019 | Tornado (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 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mossy Head | - | Two large trees were blown down east of Mossy Head Park and School on Highway 90. |
| November 2015 | Tornado (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 2014 | Hail | Mossy Head | - | Quarter size hail was reported at a store just south of I-10 at MM70. |
| April 2014 | Flash Flood | Mossy Head | - | A car was stuck in water on High Note Road due to flash flooding. |
| April 2009 | Hail | Mossy Head | - | Golf ball size hail was reported. |
| July 2009 | Hail | Mossy Head | - | Quarter size hail was observed in Mossy Head. |
| March 2009 | Tornado (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 2007 | Hail | Mossy Head | - | Nickel size hail was reported. |
| April 2005 | Hail | Mossy Head | - | Quarter size hail reported by a EMS unit on Interstate 10 near mile marker 73. |
| May 2010 | Hail | Mossy Head | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Highlands | 4.4 miles | 18 | |
| Pond Creek | 5.1 miles | 13 | |
| Alpine Heights | 5.6 miles | 17 | |
| Liberty | 7.6 miles | 12 | |
| Cosson Mill | 7.7 miles | 17 | |
| Ealum | 7.7 miles | 12 | |
| New Harmony | 7.8 miles | 13 | |
| Pleasant Ridge | 8.2 miles | 17 |
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 Head | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q16895403 | 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 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.







