Ashawa, Iowa
11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1908 and the latest in 1984. It stands in Walnut Township. It lies in ZIP code area 50265. The Survey maps it on the Commerce quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 11 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.
- 1908 USGS Waukee quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1954 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1956 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000
- 1965 USGS Commerce quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1969 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000
- 1984 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
4 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 4 fires within 5 miles of Ashawa between 2006 and 2011, burning about 21 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 | 4 |
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 April 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 47753 127TH, IA |
| 4 April 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 2 April 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 129 COTTAGE LANE,LAKE PONDEROSA, IA |
| 13 January 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
7 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 7 workings within 5 miles of Ashawa: 4 producers, 3 past producers. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marquette Cement Plant | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Penn-Dixie Cement Plant | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Commerce Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Commerce Pit and Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| I-35 and Army Post Road Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| West Des Moines Sand Plant | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
44 since 2007Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Ashawa in 44 storm reports between 2007 and 2025: 20 thunderstorm wind, 13 hail, 6 heavy rain, 3 lightning. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashawa | $25,000 | Winds estimated in excess of 70 MPH. Extremely heavy rain as well. |
| August 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashawa | $25,000 | Numerous two inch diameter limbs down at the intersection of 68th and Douglas. Winds in excess of 60 MPH. |
| July 2008 | Flood | Ashawa | $25,000 | Law Enforcement reported water blocking the road in the 5000 block of EP True Parkway. |
| July 2025 | Flash Flood | Ashawa | $20,000 | Local law enforcement reported flash flooding over portions of the Des Moines metro area on the evening of July 20th 2025. Several intersections closed along 63rd Ave, with several stranded vehicles. George Flagg Parkways closed, with flooding reported in the Valley Junction area. Local media also reported deep, standing water along Ashworth road in West Des Moines. |
| April 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashawa | $20,000 | Three to eight inch tree limbs down at Valley Junction. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashawa | $10,000 | Emergency manager reported multiple trees and power lines down in West Des Moines along Ashworth Rd. |
| August 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashawa | $10,000 | Public reported 18 to 24 inch diameter tree downed through wooden fence. Time and location estimated. Delayed report. |
| August 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashawa | $10,000 | Public reported large tree blown onto roof of two-story residence. Time and location estimated from radar. |
| June 2011 | Hail | Ashawa | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashawa | $5,000 | City official reported an ash tee blown over and across the street. Time estimated from radar. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashawa | $5,000 | Winds of up to 65 MPH reported at Western Hills Drive between E. P. True and Ashworth Road. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Ashawa | $5,000 | Spotter reported hail at the Hickman exit of Interstate 35/80. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Ashawa | $5,000 | Report relayed by KCCI television. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashawa | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashawa | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashawa | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashawa | $5,000 | no account filed |
| February 2009 | Hail | Ashawa | $3,000 | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashawa | $3,000 | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Hail | Ashawa | $3,000 | no account filed |
| May 2019 | Lightning | Ashawa | $2,000 | Lightning struck a power pole and knocked out power to the area. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashawa | $2,000 | Trained spotter, via social media, shared a photo of a large tree branch around 6 to 10 inches in diameter down. |
| August 2008 | Hail | Ashawa | $2,000 | no account filed |
| April 2019 | Lightning | Ashawa | $1,000 | Public relayed picture of tree split via social media, possibly set on fire initially, from lightning strike. Location and time estimated from information provided. |
| April 2019 | Lightning | Ashawa | $1,000 | Lightning struck a tree splitting the tree in half and downing about a 2-3 foot diameter limb/trunk portion of the tree. |
| March 2011 | Hail | Ashawa | $1,000 | no account filed |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashawa | - | Delayed report of a tree down on a house. Time of occurrence estimated from radar. |
| August 2022 | Hail | Ashawa | - | Report from mping. |
| August 2022 | Hail | Ashawa | - | Golf balled sized hail reported breaking windshields. |
| August 2022 | Hail | Ashawa | - | Delayed report via social media of ping pong ball sized hail in West Des Moines. Time estimated via radar. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashawa | - | NWS Employee reported a large tree, approximately two feet in diameter and 60 feet tall, down off a bike train in West Des Moines. Time estimated via radar. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashawa | - | Broadcast media relayed report of tree snapped at base. Time estimated via radar. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashawa | - | A trained spotter reported 70 mph gusts at Mills Civic Parkway and Interstate 35. |
| September 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashawa | - | Public reported estimated 60 mph wind gusts. |
| April 2019 | Hail | Ashawa | - | Public relayed estimated quarter sized hail via the mPING app, and was located right underneath the hail core via radar. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ashawa | - | Public reported tree damage including 6 to 12 inch diameter limbs torn off main trunk. |
| September 2016 | Heavy Rain | Ashawa | - | NWS employee reported heavy rainfall of 2.07 inches. |
| July 2015 | Heavy Rain | Ashawa | - | Trained spotter reported heavy rainfall of 1.63 inches. |
| August 2014 | Heavy Rain | Ashawa | - | Rainfall of 2.50 inches was measured in the past 24 hours. |
| August 2014 | Heavy Rain | Ashawa | - | Rainfall in the past 24 hours was 2.35 inches near I-35 and Mills Civic Parkway. |
| March 2011 | Heavy Rain | Ashawa | - | An inch of rain fell in a short period of time. |
| June 2017 | Hail | Ashawa | - | no account filed |
| June 2011 | Hail | Ashawa | - | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Heavy Rain | Ashawa | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commerce | 2.3 miles | 11 | |
| West Des Moines | 2.4 miles | 16 | |
| Valley Junction | 2.5 miles | 16 | |
| Clive | 2.7 miles | 16 | |
| Windsor Heights | 3.1 miles | 16 | |
| Crestwood | 3.3 miles | 16 | |
| Campbell | 3.3 miles | 11 | |
| Urbandale | 4.4 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.
| Wikidata item Q122542578 | 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 464450. 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.






