Alvord, Iowa
7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Doon Township. It lies in ZIP code area 51230. The Survey maps it on the Alvord quadrangle. 206 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,322 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresAlvord grew from 196 to 206 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 196 | |
| 2020 | 206 | +10 (+5%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 7 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.
- 1955 USGS Sioux Falls quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Sioux Falls quadrangle1:250000
- 1971 USGS Alvord quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Rock Rapids quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
3 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 3 fires within 5 miles of Alvord between 2006 and 2020, burning about 42 acres in total. None started naturally. None was 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 September 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 30 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 10 April 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 28 November 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
3 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Alvord: 3 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bouma Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Hilder Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Van Roekel | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
19 since 2000Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Alvord in 19 storm reports between 2000 and 2025: 6 thunderstorm wind, 6 flood, 5 hail, 2 tornado. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2019 | Flood | Alvord | $10,000 | After excessive two-day rainfall during September 10-12 (4.72 inches at Luverne and 3.43 inches at Rock Rapids), the Rock River at Rock Valley (gage site RKVI4) reached a minor crest of 0.79 feet above flood stage on September 14. Significant agricultural land was flooded along with several county roads. |
| May 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alvord | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew the roof off a business, and caused tree damage. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alvord | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds severely damaged half a machine shed. |
| April 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alvord | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew down and twisted the roof of a storage shed, and blew down tree limbs and branches. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alvord | - | Thunderstorm winds dented one mostly full grain bin on the west side and collapsed a second empty bin. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alvord | - | An outbuilding was damaged by thunderstorm wind gusts with debris blown to the east. Several trees were uprooted in and near Alvord. |
| July 2025 | Tornado (EF1) | Alvord | - | A tornado spun up approximately 1 mile east-northeast of Alvord just north of 210th Street and around one-half mile west of Fig Avenue. The tornado traveled southeast one-half mile to Fig Avenue where it destroyed a small shed and heavily damaged an abandoned farmstead, including a grove of old trees. A distinct convergent path was noted in the corn just north of the farmstead. One mile farther east-southeast, the tornado destroyed a barn along Fir Avenue. After traveling another one-half mile through fields, the tornado lifted east of Fir Avenue. The tornado was rated EF1 with an estimated maximum wind gust of 110 mph. The average path width was 100 yards. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alvord | - | Significant roof damage to outbuildings was caused by thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| June 2024 | Flood | Alvord | - | The Rock River at Rock Valley rose above flood stage the morning of June 21st, cresting around 12.40 feet above flood stage (28.40 feet) on June 22nd. This crest is in the Major Stage and broke the previous record. The river then fell below flood stage on the evening of June 26th. For a more comprehensive description of flood damage, please see other entries for Lyon County. |
| March 2019 | Flood | Alvord | - | Snow melt and heavy rainfall (measured 1.65 inches at Rock Rapids and 1.51 inches at Rock Valley) resulted in significant flooding of agricultural lands. North Main Street in Rock Valley was evacuated between 17th and 20th Street, and U.S. Highway 18 west of Rock Valley was closed between March 14-16 due to water flowing over the roadway. Flooding concerns led to cancellation of school in Rock Valley on Friday, March 15. The Rock River at Rock Valley (gage site RKVI4) reached the third highest stage on record cresting 4.61 feet above flood stage on March 15. |
| May 2019 | Flood | Alvord | - | The Rock River at Rock Valley (gage site RKVI4) reached a crest of 2.54 feet above flood stage on May 28. The main impact was inundation of agricultural land, which further delayed spring planting. |
| June 2018 | Flood | Alvord | - | A week of periodic heavy rainfall ending June 26 resulted in a widespread 5 to 10 inches of rainfall, much of which occurred on June 20, 24 and 25. Specific weekly totals included 7.04 inches at Rock Rapids, 9.15 inches at Rock Valley and 9.19 inches near Lester. Major flooding occurred with significant amounts of crop and pasture land inundated. The Little Rock River, a tributary which has confluence with the Rock River south of Doon, washed out a rail line sometime overnight on June 22. A train derailment occurred around 430CDT, with 33 cars leaving the track, 10 leaking an estimated 160,000 gallons of heavy crude oil into the flood waters. The city well at Rock Valley was shut down for a period following the spill. A trailer park and several businesses were flooded as the Rock River at Rock Valley (gage site RKVI4) crested 5.3 feet above flood stage on June 22. A secondary major crest 3.5 feet above flood stage occurred on June 26. The river fell below flood stage on June 28. |
| September 2018 | Flood | Alvord | - | Widespread rainfall in the Rock River basin from September 18-20 totaled generally 5 to 10 inches, resulting in moderate flooding of mainly agricultural land. The Rock River at Rock Valley (gage site RKVI4) crested 2.5 feet above flood stage on September 21. |
| June 2014 | Tornado (EF0) | Alvord | - | A brief tornado caused no reported damage. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Alvord | - | Large hail was accompanied by strong winds. Leaves were stripped from numerous trees. |
| June 2011 | Hail | Alvord | - | Large hail fell for about five minutes. The hail caused damage to vehicles, windshields, the roofs and siding of some homes, and crops. The amount of property and crop damage was not known. |
| October 2002 | Hail | Alvord | - | no account filed |
| October 2002 | Hail | Alvord | - | no account filed |
| April 2000 | Hail | Alvord | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doon | 5.6 miles | 7 | |
| Lakewood Corner | 6.6 miles | 7 | |
| Lester | 7.3 miles | 7 | |
| Lakewood (historical) | 7.3 miles | 7 | |
| Inwood | 7.3 miles | 7 | |
| Rock Rapids | 8.9 miles | 7 | |
| Larchwood | 10.4 miles | 7 | |
| Edna | 11.3 miles | 7 |
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 Alvord | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1903263 | 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 454161. 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.



