Dayton, Iowa
11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1923 and the latest in 1993. It stands in Dayton Township. It lies in ZIP code area 50530. It stands on Knack Creek. The Survey maps it on the Lehigh quadrangle. 772 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,122 feet above sea level.
Research this city
Population over time
2 figuresDayton fell from 837 to 772 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 | 837 | |
| 2020 | 772 | -65 (-8%) |
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.
- 1923 USGS Lehigh quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1954 USGS Fort Dodge quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Fort Dodge quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Fort Dodge quadrangle1:250000
- 1965 USGS Lehigh quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Carroll quadrangle1:100000
- 1993 USGS Carroll quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
8 since 2008Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 8 fires within 5 miles of Dayton between 2008 and 2020, burning about 96 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/undetermined | 6 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
| Debris and open burning | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 July 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 17 June 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 9 April 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 30 April 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 14 April 2016 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | DAYTON FIRE DEPARTMENT |
| 7 November 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 8 October 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 3717 TAYLOR AVE DAYTON, IA, IA |
| 8 October 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 18 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | DAYTON OAKS CAMP, TAYLOR AVE., 2 MI. E OF DAYTON, |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Dayton: 1 past producer, 1 producer. 1 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.
Storms near this place
42 since 1998Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Dayton in 42 storm reports between 1998 and 2024: 15 hail, 11 heavy rain, 8 tornado, 4 flash 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2005 | Tornado (F2) | Dayton | $450,000 | Tornado moved in from Boone County, then tracked into Hamilton County. |
| August 2014 | Tornado (EF1) | Dayton | $200,000 | This small but potent tornado formed just over 3 miles north of Dayton and tracked nearly due east, destroying one hog confinement building and leaving a pronounced trail through multiple corn fields. The tornado weakened midway into its track, but still left a path 20 yards wide through several other corn fields before doing some minor tree damage at the end of its track. Tornado was surveyed but track lengthened after high resolution satellite imagery showed additional damage and path length. |
| August 2015 | Flash Flood | Dayton | $100,000 | Public reported major flash flooding ongoing throughout the town of Dayton due to Skillet Creek. Fairground, local golf course, and campground are all inundated with at least 5 feet of flowing water. |
| August 2015 | Flash Flood | Dayton | $50,000 | Webster County Sheriff reported Skillet Creek on the west side of Dayton is flooding onto Highway 175 and affecting two bridges near town. One house near the creek was evacuated due to high water. |
| April 2001 | Tornado (F0) | Dayton | $30,000 | Brief touchdown with damage reported to trailers and a building. |
| August 2015 | Flash Flood | Dayton | $25,000 | Public reported floodwaters covering US 169 due to runoff from fields and ditches. Time estimated. |
| August 2010 | Flash Flood | Dayton | $25,000 | Highway 175 west of Stratford has 2 to 3 feet of water running over the road. |
| December 2021 | Tornado (EF2) | Dayton | $20,000 | This tornado moved into Webster County from Boone County. It remained in rural areas of southeast Webster County producing tree and utility pole damage. EF2 damage was incurred to the southeast of Dayton along State Highway 175 where 8 utility poles were snapped. The tornado then moved into the Des Moines River east of Dayton valley where it dissipated. |
| July 1999 | Hail | Dayton | $15,000 | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Hail | Dayton | $10,000 | no account filed |
| April 1998 | Hail | Dayton | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 2013 | Hail | Dayton | $5,000 | no account filed |
| September 2012 | Hail | Dayton | $3,000 | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Hail | Dayton | $3,000 | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Dayton | $3,000 | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Dayton | $2,000 | no account filed |
| April 1998 | Hail | Dayton | $1,000 | no account filed |
| April 1998 | Hail | Dayton | $500 | no account filed |
| April 1998 | Tornado (F0) | Dayton | $200 | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Heavy Rain | Dayton | - | Personal weather station reported 4.02 inches storm total with rain still in progress. |
| July 2024 | Heavy Rain | Dayton | - | Report of 5.5 inches of rain storm total from WHO TV. |
| October 2023 | Funnel Cloud | Dayton | - | Video of weak funnel aloft with no apparent connection to the ground. |
| December 2021 | Tornado (EFU) | Dayton | - | This portion of the path just clipped the far southeast corner of Webster county without producing any damage, hence the EFU rating. The tornado moved from Boone County into Webster County, then from Webster County into Hamilton County. |
| December 2021 | Tornado (EFU) | Dayton | - | This tornado travelled through both Webster and Hamilton Counties. This short section in Webster County produced no reportable damage but was observed via high resolution satellite imagery. The tornado moved into Hamilton County south of Stratford. |
| August 2019 | Funnel Cloud | Dayton | - | Law enforcement reported a brief funnel cloud that dissipated after a few minutes. |
| August 2018 | Heavy Rain | Dayton | - | Trained spotter reported heavy rainfall of 2.25 inches from the afternoon storms. |
| August 2018 | Heavy Rain | Dayton | - | Trained spotter reported heavy rainfall of 4.50 inches. |
| May 2017 | Hail | Dayton | - | Trained spotter reported half dollar sized hail. Similar hail reported near Harcourt as well. This is a delayed report, time estimated by radar. |
| September 2017 | Heavy Rain | Dayton | - | Public reported storm total heavy rainfall of 3.00 inches. |
| July 2016 | Heavy Rain | Dayton | - | Public weather station recorded heavy rainfall of 2.81 inches this morning. |
| August 2015 | Heavy Rain | Dayton | - | Public reported updated rainfall total of 8.50 inches for the event. |
| August 2015 | Heavy Rain | Dayton | - | Public reported heavy rainfall of 9 inches for the storm total. |
| August 2015 | Heavy Rain | Dayton | - | Public reported their rain gauge overflowed at 7.5 inches. Exact rainfall total unknown. |
| August 2015 | Heavy Rain | Dayton | - | Public reported heavy rainfall of 9.75 inches event total. |
| August 2014 | Funnel Cloud | Dayton | - | A long rope funnel was reported as nearly half way to the ground. |
| April 2013 | Heavy Rain | Dayton | - | Rainfall 3.73 inches in the past 24 hours. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dayton | - | Green snap observed in farm fields. |
| June 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Dayton | - | Brief touchdown in open country. |
| May 2017 | Hail | Dayton | - | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Hail | Dayton | - | no account filed |
| August 2009 | Hail | Dayton | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Hail | Dayton | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harcourt | 5.7 miles | 12 | |
| Burnside | 6.2 miles | 11 | |
| Lehigh | 6.9 miles | 11 | |
| Palm Grove | 7.2 miles | 12 | |
| Lanyon | 7.2 miles | 11 | |
| Lundgren | 9.3 miles | 12 | |
| Border Plains | 9.5 miles | 11 | |
| Gowrie | 11.9 miles | 8 |
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 Dayton | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1920273 | 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 455819. 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.






