Ellsworth, Iowa
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1993. It stands in Lincoln Township. It lies in ZIP code area 50075. The Survey maps it on the Ellsworth quadrangle. 508 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,083 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresEllsworth fell from 531 to 508 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 | 531 | |
| 2020 | 508 | -23 (-4%) |
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 Waterloo quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1955 USGS Waterloo quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1978 USGS Ellsworth quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Ames quadrangle1:100000
- 1993 USGS Ames quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
13 since 2009Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 13 fires within 5 miles of Ellsworth between 2009 and 2020, burning about 20 acres in total. 1 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 | 6 |
| Debris and open burning | 3 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Natural | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 September 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 3.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 30 August 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 21 June 2017 | Natural | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 5 May 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | CENTER OF SECTION 4, LYON TWP, IA |
| 3 May 2015 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 19 April 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 17 March 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 6 November 2020 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
5 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 5 workings within 5 miles of Ellsworth: 4 past producers, 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.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I H Knudson | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Mortveidt Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Storgland | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
38 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Ellsworth in 38 storm reports between 1995 and 2024: 17 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind, 5 funnel cloud, 3 tornado. The reports record 4 injuries. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellsworth | 4 hurt, $20,000 | no account filed |
| May 2024 | Tornado (EF1) | Ellsworth | $80,000 | Trained spotter reported damage on both sides of Interstate 35 in conjunction with this tornado. The tornado also tossed over 2 semis that were on the interstate. A hog confinement building was partially destroyed providing the EF1 damage. |
| November 2005 | Tornado (F1) | Ellsworth | $75,000 | Tornado moved from Story County and across southeast Hamilton County, then into Hardin County. |
| March 2008 | Flood | Ellsworth | $50,000 | Water was 3 feet deep with a wash out on 400th Street, at the intersection of 400th Street and Vail Ave. in southern Hamilton County. The shoulder was completely washed out as well. |
| September 2000 | Hail | Ellsworth | $50,000 | no account filed |
| September 2000 | Hail | Ellsworth | $40,000 | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellsworth | $35,000 | no account filed |
| August 2015 | Flash Flood | Ellsworth | $10,000 | Trained spotter reported floodwaters from Long Dick Creek are 6 inches deep and flowing on 340th street 1/4 mile west of Xircus Ave. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellsworth | $10,000 | Trees and limbs blown down on to homes. |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellsworth | $10,000 | Large trees down and power pole snapped. Winds lasted 5 minutes. |
| August 2009 | Hail | Ellsworth | $10,000 | Windshield broken by hail. |
| July 1995 | Hail | Ellsworth | $10,000 | A weak cold front moved southeast across Iowa. The air mass was quite unstable, but at the same time capped by warm temperatures aloft. The freezing level was around 14,300 MSL. One cell was able to develop over north central Iowa. It moved southeast across Franklin, Wright, and Hamilton Counties. The storm became severe and produced hail up to golf ball and slightly larger in size. Reports indicated the hail covered the ground in a few areas. One area was the area north of Jewell. Hail of golf ball size fell north of Ellsworth, breaking out the window in one house. A window was also broken out of a state police car as well. The damage to crops was serious. A survey of the area revealed an area about 12 miles long and two to three miles wide from east of Webster City south to near Ellsworth suffered substantial damage. About one quarter of the crop was destroyed with damage well in excess of $1 million. The WSR 88D pictures indicated a strong circulation in the cell. About that time a funnel cloud was reported southeast of Rowan in Wright County. Later as the storm passed through Hamilton County, another funnel cloud was observed near Blairsburg. The thunderstorm collapsed about as quickly as it formed. It dissipated over Story County. |
| May 2004 | Hail | Ellsworth | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 1995 | Hail | Ellsworth | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Ellsworth | $3,000 | no account filed |
| April 2007 | Hail | Ellsworth | $3,000 | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Hail | Ellsworth | $3,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Ellsworth | $3,000 | no account filed |
| September 2000 | Hail | Ellsworth | $3,000 | no account filed |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellsworth | - | Delayed report of semis tipped over on I-35 near mile marker 139, along with power line damage. Time of occurrence estimated from radar. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellsworth | - | Estimated winds of 50-60 mph and pea sized hail. Time of occurrence estimated from radar. |
| July 2021 | Funnel Cloud | Ellsworth | - | Funnel cloud reported east of I-35, west of Radcliffe. |
| May 2019 | Funnel Cloud | Ellsworth | - | Local fire deparment reported a funnel cloud seen near the Hamilton/Hardin county line. |
| June 2018 | Heavy Rain | Ellsworth | - | Trained spotter reported heavy rainfall of 1.90 inches since 7 am this morning. |
| May 2017 | Hail | Ellsworth | - | Public reported quarter sized hail. |
| July 2017 | Funnel Cloud | Ellsworth | - | Public shared images of a funnel cloud near Radcliffe off of Interstate 35. |
| August 2015 | Heavy Rain | Ellsworth | - | City of Ames alert station reported heavy rainfall of 5.00 inches since 5am. |
| August 2015 | Heavy Rain | Ellsworth | - | Trained spotter reported 1.5 inches of rainfall in the past 2 hours with visibility less than 1/4 mile due to heavy rain. |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellsworth | - | Broad wind field, especially on south side of miso-vortex. Produced minor crop damage along its path. Damage was found and documented using high resolutions satellite imagery. |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellsworth | - | Wind gusts of 60 MPH were reported. |
| June 2013 | Funnel Cloud | Ellsworth | - | Observed by motorist on Interstate 35 at mile marker 133. Funnel was moving north. |
| June 2007 | Tornado (EF0) | Ellsworth | - | Tornado touched down briefly in open fields west of Ellsworth. |
| June 2014 | Hail | Ellsworth | - | no account filed |
| April 2013 | Hail | Ellsworth | - | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Funnel Cloud | Ellsworth | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Ellsworth | - | no account filed |
| September 2003 | Hail | Ellsworth | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Ellsworth | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jewell | 3.3 miles | 9 | |
| Randall | 5.3 miles | 15 | |
| Kamrar | 9.7 miles | 9 | |
| Rosedale | 10.1 miles | 15 | |
| Stanhope | 11.6 miles | 9 | |
| Blairsburg | 12.0 miles | 9 | |
| Williams | 12.2 miles | 9 | |
| Remicker (historical) | 13.1 miles | 9 |
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 Ellsworth | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q972728 | 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 456324. 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.




