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Belle Plaine, Iowa

9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1984. It stands in Belle Plaine City. It lies in ZIP code area 52208. The Survey maps it on the Belle Plaine quadrangle. 2,330 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 827 feet above sea level.

Belle Plaine within Benton County

On record in Belle Plaine

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 5 records

Population over time

2 figures

Belle Plaine fell from 2,534 to 2,330 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
20102,534
20202,330-204 (-8%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 surveys from 9 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

11 since 2004

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 11 fires within 5 miles of Belle Plaine between 2004 and 2018, burning about 729 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 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 burning3
Arson/incendiarism1

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
8 April 2006Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
5 April 2004Arson/incendiarism1.0 acresPort Louisa National Wildlife RefugeMAPLE FIRE
24 April 2018Debris and open burning402 acresPort Louisa National Wildlife RefugeCORNLAND WILDFIRE
21 April 2007Missing data/not specified/undetermined4.3 acresPort Louisa National Wildlife RefugeFOLEY 108
2 April 2011Debris and open burning250 acresPort Louisa National Wildlife RefugeMORMON GROUND
1 April 2010Missing data/not specified/undetermined20 acresIowa Department of Natural Resources240TH ST. AND 310TH AVE, IOWA
31 March 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acrePort Louisa National Wildlife RefugeWAGNER ROADSIDE
19 March 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined15 acresIowa Department of Natural Resources3345 X AVE ELBERON, IA, IA

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Benton County

Storms near this place

60 of 64 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Belle Plaine in 64 storm reports between 1994 and 2026: 31 thunderstorm wind, 26 hail, 3 flash flood, 2 heavy rain. 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
July 1994Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine$50,000no account filed
June 2012Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine$25,000Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew down numerous tree limbs and power lines across the southern third of Benton County around 506 pm CDT June 29.
May 2011Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine$25,000Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph destroyed the bell tower and canopy over a walkway at First Lutheran Church in Belle Plaine, IA around 450 pm CDT May 24.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine$25,000Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph downed numerous trees and power lines in Belle Plaine, IA around 430 am CDT July 11. The north side of town was hardest hit. Some properties was damaged by the fallen trees.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine$25,000Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph ripped the roof off a house just north of Belle Plaine, IA at 1:50 am June 6.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine$15,000Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew down 3 light poles near 1304 15th Street in Belle Plaine, IA at 520 pm CDT June 29.
June 2006Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine$6,000part of roof partially off a mobile home.
June 2006Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine$5,000also reported by media; tree and branches down; tree down on a car
August 2004Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine$3,000Power out
June 2005Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine$2,000Small limbs down
September 2013Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine$1,000A trained spotter reported that a large tree was down and blocking a road in Belle Plaine.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine$1,000Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew a power pole down in Belle Plaine, IA at 517 pm CDT June 29. A power outage was observed. Sustained wind speeds in excess of 40 mph were observed for over 10 minutes.
August 2009Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine$1,000Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph blew a trampoline away in Belle Plaine, IA around 716 pm August 9.
May 2000Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine$1,000no account filed
May 2024Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine-A 2 foot wide tree was blown down.
July 2020Funnel CloudBelle Plaine-A funnel cloud was reported. It was close to the ground, but observers very close to it confirmed it did not touch down.
April 2014HailBelle Plaine-A trained spotter reported dime sized hail.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine-A trained spotter reported 2 large trees down, one fell on a house and one on a garage.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine-A trained spotter estimated winds of 60 to 65 mph.
April 2013HailBelle Plaine-Half dollar sized hail fell 1 mile south southwest of Belle Plaine, IA at 241 am CDT April 9.
April 2012Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine-A tree fell on a house on 11th Street and 2nd avenue in Belle Plaine.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine-Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph were observed 1 mile south southwest of Belle Plaine, IA at 514 pm CDT June 29.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine-Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph snapped a large tree in Belle Plaine, IA at 539 pm CDT June 29. The tree covered the entire street near the intersection of 13th Street and 4th Avenue.
March 2011HailBelle Plaine-A trained spotter just south of Belle Plaine measured pea to penny size hail.
May 2011HailBelle Plaine-Quarter sized hail fell 1 mile south southwest of Belle Plaine, IA at 231 pm CDT May 22.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine-Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph were observed in Belle Plaine, IA at 450 am CDT July 11.
April 2010HailBelle Plaine-Non-severe hail (<1.0) fell in Belle Plaine, IA.
June 2010HailBelle Plaine-Quarter-sized hail fell 1 mile south southwest of Belle Plaine, IA at 1139 am June 18.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine-Wind gusts estimated to be between 60 and 70 mph were observed in Belle Plaine, IA at 5:45 pm June 8.
June 2008HailBelle Plaine-Pea to dime-size hail fell in Belle Plaine, IA at 1:29 am June 10. The hail nearly covered the ground.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 to 65 mph in Belle Plaine, IA at 1:36 am June 6.
June 2008HailBelle Plaine-A spotter measured nickel size hail near Belle Plaine.
June 2007Flash FloodBelle Plaine-Portions of Highway 21 were covered with water up to 2 feet deep.
June 2007Flash FloodBelle Plaine-Water covered Highway 1.
June 2007Flash FloodBelle Plaine-More than 7 inches of rain in Belle Plaine in less than 24 hours caused flash flooding on many streets and caused sewers to back-up into some homes.
September 2007Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine-A wind gust was measured at 60 mph. Reported by the EMA office.
July 2006HailBelle Plaine-Also estimated 40 to 50 mph winds
July 2006Funnel CloudBelle Plaine-Just east of the Benton/Poweshiek line
June 2005Heavy RainBelle Plaine-Water ponding on Highway 21
May 2004Heavy RainBelle Plaine-1 inch in 15 minutes
June 2001Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine-60 mile an hour thunderstorm gust reported by emergency management.
July 2001Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine-65 mph wind gust. Reported by emergency management.
June 2001Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine-Thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines.
September 2001Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine-Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 mph downed trees and power poles. Reported by Emergency Management.
September 2001Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine-Thunderstorm wind gust of 70 mph estimated by Emergency Management.
April 2026HailBelle Plaine-no account filed
May 2023HailBelle Plaine-no account filed
May 2023HailBelle Plaine-no account filed
May 2023HailBelle Plaine-no account filed
October 2023HailBelle Plaine-no account filed
April 2017HailBelle Plaine-no account filed
April 2017HailBelle Plaine-no account filed
June 2017HailBelle Plaine-no account filed
June 2017HailBelle Plaine-no account filed
March 2017Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine-no account filed
March 2017Thunderstorm WindBelle Plaine-no account filed
June 2015HailBelle Plaine-no account filed
May 2015HailBelle Plaine-no account filed
April 2011HailBelle Plaine-no account filed
May 2011HailBelle Plaine-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Benton 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
Irving3.7 miles9
Luzerne5.2 miles8
Keystone8.2 miles8
Blairstown10.3 miles8
Van Horne12.6 miles9
Rogersville14.8 miles9
Watkins15.5 miles13
Geneva17.2 miles9

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 Belle PlaineAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1914614The 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 454495. 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.

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.