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Glenwood, Iowa

12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1994. It stands in Glenwood Township. It lies in ZIP code area 51534. The Survey maps it on the Glenwood quadrangle. 5,073 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,017 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Glenwood within Mills County

On record in Glenwood

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 1 record

Population over time

4 figures

Glenwood grew from 614 to 5,073 between 1860 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
1860614
20005,358
20105,269-89 (-2%)
20205,073-196 (-4%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 surveys from 12 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

23 since 2009

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 23 fires within 5 miles of Glenwood between 2009 and 2018, burning about 128 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/undetermined10
Debris and open burning10
Smoking3

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
22 August 2012Smoking1.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
10 August 2016Missing data/not specified/undetermined15 acresIowa Department of Natural ResourcesGLENWOOD FIRE DEPARTMENT
13 May 2015Debris and open burning5.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
7 April 2016Debris and open burning10 acresIowa Department of Natural ResourcesGLENWOOD FIRE DEPARTMENT
22 April 2015Smoking2.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
17 April 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.5 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
12 April 2014Missing data/not specified/undetermined15 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
31 March 2018Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Mills County

Storms near this place

60 of 66 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Glenwood in 66 storm reports between 1994 and 2024: 34 hail, 25 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 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
May 2007Flash FloodGlenwood$2,500,000Rainfall of 3 to 4 inches fell across the Glenwood area which caused Keg Creek to flash flood across parts of town. The flooding prompted emergency management crews to go door-to-door to alert residents about the impending flood, although no mandatory evacuations were required. Flooding along Keg Creek, other small creeks across the county and the West Nishnabotna River caused over 2 million dollars worth of damage to roads and bridges and for debris removal.
April 1994HailGlenwood$50,000no account filed
April 1994HailGlenwood$50,000no account filed
June 1994HailGlenwood$50,000no account filed
October 2000Tornado (F1)Glenwood$40,000A tornado touched down around 3 miles south southeast of Glenwood Iowa and tracked to just east of town before lifting. The tornado badly damaged a trailer home 1 mile east of Glenwood, and also blew some power poles onto a railroad track which were then run over by a train knocking power out to residents near Glenwood. A large Vinyl Fence was also destroyed, and part of a roof of another house was damaged.
April 2001Thunderstorm WindGlenwood$10,000Possible damage from a thunderstorm rear flank downdraft from a mini-supercell which eventually spawned tornado touchdowns near Mineola, Treynor and then Crescent, Iowa. This downburst damaged a roof and trees in Glenwood.
May 1994HailGlenwood$5,000Thunderstorms erupted over western Iowa during the evening hours. The weak cold front that passed southeast across the state the previous day had stalled out just to the south of Iowa. Advection of warm unstable air over the frontal surface resulted in the development of thunderstorms. The storms were not severe in most instances. One of them did produce a brief period of hail three-quarter inch in diameter north of Glenwood in Mills County. For the most part, hail was only pea-size from most of the storms.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-Law enforcement estimated 60 miles per hour wind gusts in the city of Glenwood.
April 2024HailGlenwood-The office received a public report of golf ball sized hail.
May 2023HailGlenwood-Public reported 1-inch hail.
April 2023HailGlenwood-Public reported 1.25-inch hail.
April 2023HailGlenwood-Public reported 1.25-inch hail.
April 2023HailGlenwood-Public reported 1-inch hail via mPING.
April 2023HailGlenwood-Public reported 2-inch hail.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-Public reported power lines down and power out in Glenwood.
April 2022HailGlenwood-Broadcast media relayed a report of 1.75 inch hail.
June 2017HailGlenwood-A Mills County Sheriff Deputy reported golf ball size hail.
March 2017Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-Law enforcement indicated tree damage as well as power lines downed by the wind.
August 2015Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-Social media posts from a storm chaser in the area indicated that large street signs had been blown over along highway 34 to the east of Interstate 29. The storm chaser also reported tree damage in the area as well.
August 2011Heavy RainGlenwood-Rainfall of 2.79 inches fell from 3 separate waves of hail producing thunderstorms. The hail was pea to quarter-size in Glenwood but reached golf ball-size just northeast of town.
August 2011HailGlenwood-Hail up to golf ball-size was reported in and around the Glenwood area.
August 2011HailGlenwood-Pea to quarter-size hail was reported by the public in the Glenwood area. The hail was accompanied by wind gusts estimated at 60 mph or stronger.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-Pea to quarter-size hail was accompanied by wind gusts estimated at 60 mph or stronger. Trees and large tree limbs were downed in the area and some vehicle and home damage was noted.
April 2010Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at close to 60 mph downed 2 to 3 inch in diameter tree limbs in the area.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at over 60 mph downed several large trees and caused other tree damage in the Glenwood area. The winds were from the same complex of storms that caused extensive damage in the Omaha and Council Bluffs area.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at over 60 mph blew a pickup truck off of Interstate 29.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-Thunderstorm winds estimated at over 60 mph blew a semi truck off of Interstate 29 and knocked down tree limbs up to 6 inches in diameter which downed some power lines in town. The strong winds lasted for at least 15 minutes.
May 2007Tornado (EF0)Glenwood-A tornado tracked south of Glenwood for about 4 miles according to storm spotters that followed it. The tornado remained in open fields, and did little if any apparent damage.
May 2007Heavy RainGlenwood-The cooperative observer in Glenwood measured 3.7 inches of rain from 730 pm until a little after midnight cdt.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-Thunderstorm winds estimated at over 60 mph downed tree limbs and power lines in town. A window was blown out of the administrative office of the County Sheriff's Office and a 100 foot section of fencing along a ball field was ripped down.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 70 mph downed a number of trees and branches in Glenwood from around the center of town to the east side of town. Some windows were also blown out of buildings. Downed power lines caused about a third of the town to lose power temporarily.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-An amateur radio operator reported damage to shingles northeast of Glenwood. The damage was caused by thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 mph.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at over 60 mph downed a power pole north of Glenwood.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 60 mph severely damaged a greenhouse and downed small tree branches south and southeast of Glenwood.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 60 mph broke some large tree limbs northwest of Glenwood.
May 2004HailGlenwood-Hail up to 1 inch in diameter was reported in and around the Glenwood area.
August 2004Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at over 60 mph downed power lines knocking power out for at least 200 residents. Some windows were also broken at the police department.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-Thunderstorm wind gusts broke some tree limbs as large as 12 inches in diameter in town.
April 2002Tornado (F0)Glenwood-A storm chaser reported a tornado touchdown southwest of the intersection of highways 275 and 34. The tornado was on the ground for less than 1 minute and was in an open field. It was from the same mini-supercell that produced the tornado touchdown near Thurman several minutes earlier.
May 2002Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-Thunderstorm winds of around 60 mph blew a considerable amount of lawn furniture over a fairly large area in town.
October 2002Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-Law enforcement reported that thunderstorm winds caused some tree and power line damage in Glenwood.
April 2001HailGlenwood-Hail covered the ground.
June 2001Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-Thunderstorms mostly south of the region caused wind gusts over 60 mph downing power lines around Glenwood and over much of Mills county.
May 2000Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph west of Glenwood.
July 2000HailGlenwood-The hail was accompanied by strong winds which overturned a semitrailer truck towing 2 trailers.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindGlenwood-Numerous power lines downed. Two inch diameter tree branches downed.
May 2013HailGlenwood-no account filed
June 2011HailGlenwood-no account filed
August 2011HailGlenwood-no account filed
June 2008HailGlenwood-no account filed
June 2008HailGlenwood-no account filed
March 2007HailGlenwood-no account filed
March 2007HailGlenwood-no account filed
April 2006HailGlenwood-no account filed
April 2006HailGlenwood-no account filed
June 2006HailGlenwood-no account filed
May 2004HailGlenwood-no account filed
April 2003HailGlenwood-no account filed
May 2003HailGlenwood-no account filed
May 2003HailGlenwood-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Mills 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
Mills2.3 miles13
Pacific City3.1 miles13
Pacific Junction3.6 miles13
Balfour4.0 miles12
Hillsdale4.7 miles12
Folsom5.0 miles13
Hentons (historical)5.7 miles13
Mineola7.1 miles11

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 GlenwoodAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q962841The 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 456928. 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.