BlockBefore

Ashton, Iowa

7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Gilman Township. It lies in ZIP code area 51232. The Survey maps it on the Ashton quadrangle. 436 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,457 feet above sea level.

Ashton within Osceola County

Population over time

2 figures

Ashton fell from 458 to 436 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
2010458
2020436-22 (-5%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

4 surveys from 7 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

16 since 2007

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 16 fires within 5 miles of Ashton between 2007 and 2020, burning about 48 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/undetermined7
Debris and open burning6
Smoking2
Equipment and vehicle use1

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
29 September 2011Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIowa Department of Natural ResourcesHWY 60 AND 250TH ST., IA
22 September 2020Equipment and vehicle use10 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
9 June 2016Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIowa Department of Natural ResourcesASHTON FD
9 May 2007Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
31 May 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
30 May 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined15 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
24 May 2014Debris and open burningunder an acreIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
4 April 2015Debris and open burning1.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Osceola County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 11 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 11 workings within 5 miles of Ashton: 6 producers, 5 past producers. 6 still produce. 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Ashton PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Ashton PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Ashton PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Estherville S and GSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
HagedornSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Hogan Const CoSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Maudlin Const CoSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Osceola County PitsSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Sheldon PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
UnknownSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Osceola County

Storms near this place

37 since 2001

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Ashton in 37 storm reports between 2001 and 2025: 14 hail, 10 thunderstorm wind, 6 tornado, 3 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
March 2019FloodAshton$2,560,000Flooding resulted in extensive damage to public infrastructure including numerous county and township roads, culverts, and some bridges.
June 2024FloodAshton$2,150,000Rainfall amounts across Osceola County from June 20-22 ranged from 7 to 9 inches. This rain resulted in widespread overland flooding across the county. ||A shelter in Sibley was opened after approximately 25 homes were evacuated due to flood waters. There was at least one swift water rescue. No homes or businesses were destroyed, but there were many reports of water up to the first level with significant water damage in basements. ||Numerous roads were damaged across the county. Two pump motors were destroyed at the Sibley Wastewater Treatment Plant. The May City water wells were contaminated. The Ashton water main from rural water was destroyed and a rural bridge near Ashton was also destroyed. Preliminary damage assessments estimate loss to public infrastructure across the county to be 2.15 million dollars.
June 2001HailAshton$100,000no account filed
June 2023Thunderstorm WindAshton$75,000A grain silo was toppled, a portion of a barn roof removed and several large tree limbs were downed by thunderstorm wind gusts. Property damage costs are a rough estimate.
March 2018LightningAshton$75,000A lightning strike early in the morning of March 5 started a fire which burned down a corn crib. The resulting fire damaged an auger and two farm trailers.
August 2021Tornado (EF0)Ashton$30,000A tornado developed one mile north of Ashton, just north of the intersection of Nuthatch Avenue and 220th Street. The tornado moved northeast across farmland with a track identified on Sentinel satellite imagery. The tornado then turned after around one mile to move largely parallel to State Highway 60, briefly crossing to the east side of the road where it overturned a small shed and snapped several branches on a large tree. As the tornado tracked between Highway 60 and the Sibley Municipal Airport, an RV was tossed into a utility shed which resulted in the collapse of the shed. The tornado then turned north and moved back across Highway 60, where it destroyed a road sign shortly before it lifted one-half mile north of 190th Street. The path along and east of Highway 60 was documented on drone video. The average path width was 30 yards. Property damage costs are a rough estimate.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindAshton$20,000Thunderstorm winds ripped off portions of the roofs on two hog barns. Property damage costs are a rough estimate. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindAshton$10,000Trees and a power pole were taken down by the strong wind. Property damage costs are rough estimates.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindAshton-Thunderstorm wind gusts knocked down a large tree on a house and two trees onto the garage.
July 2023HailAshton-Hail ranged in size from pea to golf ball size. A few smaller tree limbs were also downed by thunderstorm winds.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindAshton-A mobile mesonet station measured a 62 mph wind gust. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindAshton-Several tree limbs up to six inches in diameter were broken by wind gusts.
September 2021Thunderstorm WindAshton-Iowa RWIS site near Ashton measured thunderstorm wind gusts.
June 2019FloodAshton-During crop planting season, prolonged flooding led to the loss of or inability to plant crops across the area. Crop loss estimates provided by the United States Department of Agriculture.
September 2015Heavy RainAshton-Heavy rainfall of 2.50 inches was measured.
August 2011HailAshton-Large hail was accompanied by estimated 60 mph wind gusts.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindAshton-Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including up to 3 inch diameter branches blown down. The winds were accompanied by quarter size hail.
May 2011Tornado (EF0)Ashton-A brief tornado caused no reported damage.
September 2010HailAshton-Large hail dented at least one vehicle.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindAshton-Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage. The winds were accompanied by marble size hail.
September 2010HailAshton-Large hail cracked windows and dented vehicles.
June 2010Tornado (EF0)Ashton-A brief tornado caused no reported damage.
June 2010Tornado (EF0)Ashton-A brief tornado caused no reported damage.
May 2008Tornado (EF0)Ashton-A brief tornado caused no reported damage.
June 2008Tornado (EF0)Ashton-A brief tornado caused no reported damage.
July 2023HailAshton-no account filed
May 2019HailAshton-no account filed
July 2016HailAshton-no account filed
June 2010Funnel CloudAshton-no account filed
July 2009HailAshton-no account filed
May 2007HailAshton-no account filed
August 2006HailAshton-no account filed
May 2005HailAshton-no account filed
September 2005Thunderstorm WindAshton-no account filed
April 2004HailAshton-no account filed
July 2004HailAshton-no account filed
June 2001Flash FloodAshton-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Osceola 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
Cloverdale6.1 miles7
Sibley6.4 miles7
Melvin9.8 miles7
Allendorf10.6 miles7
Ocheyedan15.4 miles7
May City16.8 miles7
Harris21.1 miles7

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 AshtonAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1914871The 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 454259. 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.