Grafton, Iowa
7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Union Township. It lies in ZIP code area 50440. The Survey maps it on the Grafton quadrangle. 216 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,230 feet above sea level.
On record in Grafton
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
2 figuresGrafton fell from 252 to 216 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 | 252 | |
| 2020 | 216 | -36 (-14%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 7 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 Mason City quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1957 USGS Mason City quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Mason City quadrangle1:250000
- 1972 USGS Grafton quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Mason City quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
2 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 2 fires within 5 miles of Grafton between 2006 and 2009, burning about 30 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 | 2 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 April 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 7 October 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
6 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 6 workings within 5 miles of Grafton: 3 past producers, 2 producers, 1 unknown. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shell Rock Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | ||
| Stevens Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Wilde Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer |
Storms near this place
47 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Grafton in 47 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 18 heavy rain, 12 hail, 10 thunderstorm wind, 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2022 | Tornado (EF1) | Grafton | $50,000 | Tornado developed south of Highway 9 and west of Warbler Avenue and moved northeast. The tornado encountered a farmstead on the south side of Highway 9 producing EF1 damage to trees and an outbuilding. The tornado continued northeast and remained in rural farmland the rest of its path. |
| July 2011 | Flash Flood | Grafton | $50,000 | A handful of areas with a foot of water flowing over roads through the town of Grafton. |
| July 2011 | Flash Flood | Grafton | $10,000 | Ulmus Ave between 400th and 410th closed due to high water. |
| September 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | $5,000 | Spotter estimated winds over 50 MPH. Several 2 to 3 inch diameter branches were blown down throughout Grafton. An 8 inch and 12 inch diameter tree were both reported down just north of town with power reported out. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | $5,000 | Numerous large tree limbs down of greater than 6 inches in diameter. |
| May 2000 | Hail | Grafton | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 1994 | Hail | Grafton | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | $3,000 | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | $3,000 | no account filed |
| May 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | $2,000 | Minor tree branch damage was reported. |
| May 2013 | Hail | Grafton | $2,000 | This was the third wave of nickel to quarter size hail that moved through the area. |
| May 2013 | Hail | Grafton | $2,000 | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Hail | Grafton | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Grafton | $1,000 | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Grafton | $1,000 | no account filed |
| September 2025 | Hail | Grafton | - | Delayed report, time estimated by radar. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | - | Personal weather station reported gust. |
| June 2024 | Heavy Rain | Grafton | - | Mesonet reported 2.68 inches of rain. |
| April 2022 | Hail | Grafton | - | Trained spotter reported quarter sized hail. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | - | Personal weather station measured a 59 mph wind gust. |
| August 2022 | Heavy Rain | Grafton | - | CoCoRaHS station in Grafton reported a 24 hour rain total of 3.30 inches. |
| August 2022 | Heavy Rain | Grafton | - | A 24 hour rainfall total of 4.01 inches. |
| August 2021 | Heavy Rain | Grafton | - | A rainfall report of 5.83 inches since midnight. |
| August 2021 | Flash Flood | Grafton | - | Water was several inches deep flowing over Yarrow Avenue near the intersection of 410th Street. |
| August 2021 | Flash Flood | Grafton | - | Water two to three feet deep flowing up to the road on south end of town as well as approaching a residence. Three to six inches of water flowing over road. Report via social media courtesy of KAAL TV. |
| August 2021 | Flash Flood | Grafton | - | Water several inches deep flowing over the road near the intersection of Ulmus Avenue and 410th Street east of Kensett. |
| August 2021 | Heavy Rain | Grafton | - | A 24 hour rainfall total of 4.21 inches. |
| August 2021 | Heavy Rain | Grafton | - | A 24 hour rainfall total of 3.62 inches. |
| August 2021 | Heavy Rain | Grafton | - | A 24 hour rainfall of 2.19 inches. |
| May 2020 | Heavy Rain | Grafton | - | CoCoRaHS report of 2.03 inches of rain. Beginning and end time roughly estimated from radar. |
| June 2020 | Heavy Rain | Grafton | - | Trained spotter measured 1.9 inches of rain. Beginning time estimated by radar. Rain ongoing at observation time. |
| June 2020 | Heavy Rain | Grafton | - | CoCoRaHS observer recorded 2.78 inches of rainfall over the last 24 hours. |
| June 2020 | Heavy Rain | Grafton | - | CoCoRaHS observer reported a 24 hour rainfall total of 2.38 inches. |
| June 2020 | Heavy Rain | Grafton | - | Public report via social media of 2.38 inches of rain as a 24 hour total. |
| June 2018 | Heavy Rain | Grafton | - | Public recorded heavy rainfall of 2.34 inches from a home weather station. |
| June 2018 | Heavy Rain | Grafton | - | Public reported heavy rainfall of 3.18 inches. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | - | Trained spotter measured a 71 mph wind gust at their home. |
| April 2017 | Hail | Grafton | - | Trained storm spotter reported mostly quarter sized hail with a couple of stones measuring up to an inch and a half. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | - | Trained spotter reported a 69 mph wind gust recorded from a home weather station. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Grafton | - | Home weather station measured wind gust of 68 mph. |
| May 2016 | Hail | Grafton | - | Trained spotter reported penny to quarter sized hail at their residence. |
| August 2016 | Heavy Rain | Grafton | - | Trained spotter reported heavy rainfall of 3.88 inches since early Tue evening. |
| June 2013 | Heavy Rain | Grafton | - | Rainfall of 2.84 inches in the past few hours in Grafton. |
| July 2011 | Heavy Rain | Grafton | - | Rainfall since 1530 CST was 4.32 inches. |
| July 2011 | Heavy Rain | Grafton | - | Total rainfall of 5.28 inches since rain began at 1530 CST. |
| May 2000 | Hail | Grafton | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Funnel Cloud | Grafton | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bolan | 3.9 miles | 7 | |
| Glade | 4.9 miles | 7 | |
| Manly | 7.6 miles | 7 | |
| Kensett | 7.7 miles | 7 | |
| Meltonville | 8.4 miles | 7 | |
| Northwood | 11.3 miles | 7 | |
| Deer Creek | 12.1 miles | 7 | |
| Hanlontown | 16.8 miles | 7 |
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 Grafton | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1913657 | 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 457012. 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.





