Aurelia, Iowa
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Pitcher Township. It lies in ZIP code area 51005. The Survey maps it on the Aurelia quadrangle. 968 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,391 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresAurelia fell from 1,036 to 968 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 | 1,036 | |
| 2020 | 968 | -68 (-7%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 9 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.
- 1954 USGS Fort Dodge quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Fort Dodge quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Fort Dodge quadrangle1:250000
- 1969 USGS Aurelia quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Storm Lake quadrangle1:100000, 3 printings
Fires near this place
14 since 2011Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 14 fires within 5 miles of Aurelia between 2011 and 2020, burning about 31 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 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 4 |
| Debris and open burning | 3 |
| Smoking | 3 |
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 | 3.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 29 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 200-580TH ST., IA |
| 18 September 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 5 July 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 26 July 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 14 May 2013 | Smoking | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 1 April 2015 | Smoking | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 29 March 2014 | Equipment and vehicle use | 3.0 acres | 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 Aurelia: 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurelia Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Bugh Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
33 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Aurelia in 33 storm reports between 1999 and 2025: 18 hail, 10 thunderstorm wind, 3 flash flood, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2021 | Tornado (EF1) | Aurelia | $1,000,000 | The tornado spun up 7 miles south-southwest of Aurelia just west of the intersection of T Avenue and 610th Street. The tornado moved either northeast or north-northeast along its track and exited Cherokee County at 1707CST near the intersection of 510th Street and 10th Avenue. The tornado continued northeast and lifted one mile south of the Buena Vista County Conservation Park at 1712CST. ||Shortly after touchdown, the tornado partially collapsed the roof on a hog confinement which killed 13 hogs. Debris from this building was strewn for one to two miles to the northeast. On a northeastward track, another animal confinement farm was struck by the tornado after a couple minutes which resulted in loss of several roof panels on multiple buildings. At this point the tornado shifted path toward more of a north-northeast direction and moved into Aurelia. A drying unit was removed from the top of a grain elevator on the south edge of town. Most of the damage throughout the eastern half of Aurelia was snapped trees, which caused collateral damage to numerous roofs and windows along the path. The tornado moved through the golf course snapping and uprooting numerous trees. The tornado continued with a shift to a more northeast track, and destroyed a barn and three outbuildings along 535th Street northeast of Aurelia. Additional damage occurred to a machine shed and large trees along the Cherokee and Buena Vista County line. The tornado was rated EF1 in both Cherokee and Buena Vista Counties. The average path width was 150 yards in Cherokee County and the maximum estimated wind speed was 110 mph. Property damage costs are a rough estimate. |
| May 2013 | Flash Flood | Aurelia | $500,000 | Widespread heavy rainfall of up to 9 inches caused flash flooding which was also widespread, affecting especially the eastern half of the county. There was significant flooding of numerous streets and homes, with many homes and businesses in the city of Cherokee affected by basement or lower level flooding. Some basements were nearly full of water. In rural areas, numerous roads, fields, and homes were flooded. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurelia | $30,000 | Thunderstorm winds resulted in failure of garage doors, with removal of walls and roof of half the building. Debris was thrown north and northwest into several homes. Property damage costs are a rough estimate. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurelia | $30,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew in the south facing doors of a metal shed, which caused complete removal of the roof. Property damage costs are a rough estimate. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurelia | $20,000 | A half-dozen power poles were snapped off at the ground by thunderstorm winds. Property damage costs are a rough estimate. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurelia | - | Multiple large tree branches were downed by thunderstorm winds in Aurelia. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Aurelia | - | Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| July 2023 | Hail | Aurelia | - | Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| December 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurelia | - | Three empty railcars were blown over by thunderstorm winds. |
| December 2021 | Tornado (EFU) | Aurelia | - | This is the second segment of a tornado which developed 2 miles north-northwest of Galva at 1658CST, and entered Cherokee County 4 miles north of Galva just east of Marshal Avenue at 1700CST. The tornado tracked over open farmland in extreme southeast Cherokee County with no damage indicators, before it entered Buena Vista County at 1701CST, where the tornado lifted one mile southwest of Alta at 1706CST. The tornado was rated EF0 in Ida County, EFU in Cherokee County, and EF1 in Buena Vista County. The average path width in Cherokee County was estimated at 50 yards. |
| May 2018 | Hail | Aurelia | - | Report via social media with picture. Time estimated from radar. |
| May 2018 | Hail | Aurelia | - | Relayed public report with picture. Time estimated from radar. |
| September 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurelia | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including branches up to 10 inches in diameter blown down. |
| May 2013 | Flash Flood | Aurelia | - | Heavy rain caused significant flooding of several roads. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Aurelia | - | Hail up to golf ball size fell for several minutes. An unknown amount of damage was done to vehicles. |
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Aurelia | - | Heavy rain caused flash flooding of county roads, ditches and other low areas, and fields. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurelia | - | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including several trees blown over. The winds also blew an exterior steel door off a nursing home. |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurelia | - | Thunderstorm winds caused property damage. The amount of damage was not known. |
| April 2025 | Hail | Aurelia | - | no account filed |
| September 2019 | Hail | Aurelia | - | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Hail | Aurelia | - | no account filed |
| July 2006 | Hail | Aurelia | - | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Hail | Aurelia | - | no account filed |
| April 2004 | Hail | Aurelia | - | no account filed |
| April 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurelia | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Aurelia | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurelia | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Aurelia | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Aurelia | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Aurelia | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Aurelia | - | no account filed |
| October 2001 | Hail | Aurelia | - | no account filed |
| April 1999 | Hail | Aurelia | - | 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.
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 Aurelia | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1947771 | 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 454283. 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.




