BlockBefore

Palm Bay, Florida

13 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1949 and the latest in 1981. It stands in the Palm Bay census division. It lies in ZIP code area 32905. The Survey maps it on the Melbourne East quadrangle. 119,760 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 16 feet above sea level.

Palm Bay within Brevard County

Then and now

1949 to 1981

The same ground, surveyed 32 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Palm Bay, surveyed 1981
Topographic sheet of Palm Bay, surveyed 1949

On record in Palm Bay

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 1 record

Population over time

2 figures

Palm Bay grew from 103,190 to 119,760 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
2010103,190
2020119,760+16,570 (+16%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

7 surveys from 13 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

130 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 130 fires within 5 miles of Palm Bay between 1992 and 2020, burning about 5,981 acres in total. 24 started naturally. 21 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
Equipment and vehicle use37
Natural24
Arson/incendiarism21
Missing data/not specified/undetermined21
Misuse of fire by a minor8
Railroad operations and maintenance7
Smoking4
Recreation and ceremony4
Power generation/transmission/distribution3
Debris and open burning1

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
30 September 1993Equipment and vehicle use8.0 acresFlorida Forest Servicenot named
14 September 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresFlorida Forest ServiceT-BONE (05)
23 August 2006Natural7.0 acresFlorida Forest ServiceCABBAGE PALM (5)
22 August 2006Power generation/transmission/distribution10 acresFlorida Forest ServiceHENDERSON (5)
16 August 2006Arson/incendiarism5.0 acresFlorida Forest ServiceSTACK (05)
11 August 2017Natural5.0 acresFlorida Forest ServiceCOUNTRY COVE (5)
9 July 2004Natural45 acresFlorida Forest ServiceCOREY (O5)
8 July 1995Equipment and vehicle use3.0 acresFlorida Forest Servicenot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Brevard County

Mines and quarries near this place

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Palm Bay: 1 producer. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Titanium-Heavy Minerals. 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
Melbourne-Palm Bay PlacerTitanium-Heavy MineralsProducerStaurolite, Kyanite, Zircon, Rutile, Leucoxene, Ilmenite

Every working recorded in Brevard County

Storms near this place

44 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Palm Bay in 44 storm reports between 1994 and 2026: 19 hail, 11 thunderstorm wind, 6 tornado, 4 lightning. The reports record 1 death and 3 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 2000LightningPalm Bay1 killedA 62 year old man was struck by lightning on a golf course in Palm Bay. He died of his lightning injuries on 08/01/00.
February 2005Tornado (F1)Palm Bay1 hurt, $600,000An F1 tornado touched down in the western part of Palm Bay blowing down trees and damaging 20 homes. Four houses received major damage. A partially constructed block house was demolished. One person was injured.
June 2005LightningPalm Bay1 hurtA Palm Bay man was struck and seriously injured by lightning while repairing roof damage from last year's hurricanes.
July 2003LightningPalm Bay1 hurtA Palm Bay man was struck and injured by lightning while cutting his grass.
November 2008Tornado (EF0)Palm Bay$576,000Low end EF0 tornado, estimated 65 to 75 mph, touched down in southwest Palm Bay and damaged 26 structures, mainly within the Holiday Park mobile home community. Damage mostly involved roofs, fences and exterior surfaces.
May 1999Tornado (F0)Palm Bay$40,000A waterspout tornado moved west off the Indian River and came ashore along U.S. Highway 1 in Palm Bay. It damaged the roof to a restaurant and destroyed the restaurant porch.
February 1998Thunderstorm WindPalm Bay$15,000Thunderstorm winds damaged the roof of a house in Palm Bay.
August 2012Thunderstorm WindPalm Bay$10,000The roofs of several carports were blown down at the Malabar Lakes Apartments.
March 2010Thunderstorm WindPalm Bay$10,000An apparent microburst associated with a fast moving strong thunderstorm produced localized wind damage to the Palm Bay Chamber of Commerce building and surrounding area. The roof of a building lost a small portion of its roof, soffits were pulled from another building and a free standing sign was ripped in half. One large tree was toppled and several small palm trees were knocked over.
June 2016FloodPalm Bay$5,000Between 4 and 6 inches of rain fell across south Brevard County during a 6-hour period from mid morning through late afternoon, leading to roadway flooding, roadway closures and stranded vehicles. High levels of standing water continued into the early evening then rapidly subsided. The areas with most significant impacts included Palm Bay and Malabar.
July 2007LightningPalm Bay$5,000Lightning started a house fire in Palm Bay.
October 2005Tornado (F0)Palm Bay$5,000The same rainband cell that destroyed the house south of Melbourne Beach continued to move northwest and produced a brief F0 tornado that took out power lines and transformers.
October 1994Tornado (F0)Palm Bay$5,000An intense rain shower produced a small F0 tornado in Palm Bay as it moved inland from the Atlantic. The tornado remained on the ground only a few blocks. It destroyed a wooden carport, uprooted a few trees and damaged awnings, fences and outdoor furniture.
August 2012Thunderstorm WindPalm Bay$3,000Windows were cracked and signs blown over in a muffler shop located at Babcock Street and Lake in the Woods Drive in Palm Bay.
March 2002Thunderstorm WindPalm Bay$2,000Thunderstorm winds blew down a few large trees in Palm Bay destroying a small shed and a fence.
February 2014Thunderstorm WindPalm Bay$1,000A Palm Bay citizen reported that strong thunderstorm winds damaged the aluminum porch of his neighbors mobile home on Tangelo Drive and peeled back part of the roof.
August 2012Thunderstorm WindPalm Bay$1,000A large tree was knocked down into the road at the intersection of Troutman Blvd. and Port Malabar Blvd. southwest of Palm Bay.
March 2026HailPalm Bay-Public report of hail estimated to be between penny to quarter size in diameter near Malabar Rd and I-95.
April 2023HailPalm Bay-Trained spotter reports damage to cars and roofs in Palm Bay with golf ball size hail observed near Rome Ave and Nebraska Ave.
April 2023HailPalm Bay-Delayed report of hail up to quarter size near the intersection of South Babcock St and Palm Bay Rd. Time estimated via radar.
September 2017Tornado (EF1)Palm Bay-Based on a NWS storm survey, a waterspout that developed on the Indian River moved onshore and damaged several residences on Worth Court in Palm Bay, including a waterfront home whose second floor was removed and carried downwind. The EF-1 tornado (estimated 100 to 110 mph) continued across US-1, causing minor roof damage to a university building. The tornado then impacted over a dozen mobile homes within Palm Bay Estates, several of which were heavily damaged or destroyed. The tornado continued west, just to the north of Turkey Creek, damaging many trees and several additional homes before moving through a school campus before dissipating near the Harris Corporation. DI2, DOD6, LB-EXP.
October 2011Heavy RainPalm Bay-Heavy rainfall associated with persistent cells produced urban, small stream, and roadway flooding in the Palm Bay area. The highest 3-day rainfall total reported within Brevard County, ending at 0600 EST October 10, was 14.82 inches, at a CoCoRaHS site located 1 mile northeast of Palm Bay (FL-BV-14).
September 2008Funnel CloudPalm Bay-Law enforcement and the public reported a funnel cloud over the Atlantic off Melbourne Beach.
February 2007Thunderstorm WindPalm Bay-A large tree took down power lines in Palm Bay.
June 2004Thunderstorm WindPalm Bay-Thunderstorm winds blew down 10 to 15 trees in Palm Bay.
August 2003Funnel CloudPalm Bay-Local fire department personnel reported two funnel clouds southwest of Palm Bay.
April 1997Thunderstorm WindPalm Bay-Thunderstorm winds blew down trees in Melbourne and Palm Bay.
April 1997Thunderstorm WindPalm Bay-Thunderstorm winds blew down trees in Melbourne and Palm Bay.
June 1994HailPalm Bay-Severe thunderstorms produced golf ball-size hail and damaged eleven mobile homes and a club house causing $75,000 damage near Palm Bay. Trees were blown down and one mobile home was damaged in South Melbourne Beach.
May 2007HailPalm Bay-no account filed
June 2006HailPalm Bay-no account filed
June 2004HailPalm Bay-no account filed
June 2004HailPalm Bay-no account filed
March 2003HailPalm Bay-no account filed
March 2003HailPalm Bay-no account filed
April 2003HailPalm Bay-no account filed
April 2001HailPalm Bay-no account filed
April 2001HailPalm Bay-no account filed
June 2001HailPalm Bay-no account filed
June 2001HailPalm Bay-no account filed
May 1999HailPalm Bay-no account filed
May 1998HailPalm Bay-no account filed
May 1998HailPalm Bay-no account filed
February 1998HailPalm Bay-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Brevard 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
Malabar2.5 miles13
Melbourne Beach2.8 miles13
Melbourne3.5 miles13
Indialantic4.0 miles13
West Melbourne4.3 miles16
Mintons Corner5.3 miles16
Melbourne Village5.4 miles16
Valkaria5.4 miles16

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 Palm BayAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q816809The 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 288389. 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.