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Martelle, Iowa

14 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1890 and the latest in 1984. It stands in Greenfield Township. It lies in ZIP code area 52305. The Survey maps it on the Anamosa quadrangle. 249 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 909 feet above sea level.

Martelle within Jones County

Population over time

2 figures

Martelle fell from 255 to 249 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
2010255
2020249-6 (-2%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 14 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 2006

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 23 fires within 5 miles of Martelle between 2006 and 2019, burning about 199 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/undetermined14
Debris and open burning9

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
6 May 2008Missing data/not specified/undetermined4.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
6 May 2008Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
25 May 2014Debris and open burningunder an acreIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
9 April 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined3.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
8 April 2018Debris and open burning4.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
8 April 2006Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
5 April 2014Debris and open burning30 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
20 April 2019Debris and open burning2.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Jones County

Mines and quarries near this place

4 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Martelle: 4 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Equitable Life PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Kula QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Pearson PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
UnknownStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer

Every working recorded in Jones County

Storms near this place

31 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Martelle in 31 storm reports between 1995 and 2023: 17 thunderstorm wind, 10 hail, 4 tornado. 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 2011Thunderstorm WindMartelle$250,000Wind gusts estimated to be 60 to 70 blew down numerous trees across all of Jones County Iowa between 520 am and 610 am CDT July 11.
August 2009Thunderstorm WindMartelle$50,000Wind gusts estimated to be 90 to 125 mph associated with a downburst damaged a farmstead on 70th Street about 1.5 miles east of Highway 1 or about 2.75 miles east northeast of Martelle, IA around 523 pm August 19. An old barn and a corn crib were destroyed and some large limbs of an old tree were broken off. Portions of the corn crib roof were scattered to the east.
May 2004Tornado (F1)Martelle$40,000Rated F1 with winds estimated at 90 to 100 mph.
May 1995Thunderstorm WindMartelle$30,000no account filed
May 2008Thunderstorm WindMartelle$15,000Winds estimated to be 65 mph destroyed a grain bin blowing it 150 to 250 yards into a farm field near Martel, IA around 11:30 pm.
July 2003Tornado (F0)Martelle$10,000Affected rural areas
May 2014HailMartelle$5,000Half dollar sized hail fell in Martelle, IA around 820 pm CDT May 20 damaging some vehicles.
August 2009Tornado (EF0)Martelle$5,000An EF0 tornado touched down on the north end of Martelle, IA around 520 pm August 19. Wind speeds were estimated to be around 80 mph. The tornado snapped and uprooted some trees in the area. In addition, the west side of a storage building was damaged and portions of a corn field were flattened. It was also noted that some glass and dirt was splattered on the east side of a building.
May 2004HailMartelle$5,000no account filed
July 2017Thunderstorm WindMartelle$2,000A public report was received via KCRG Facebook page of a shed damaged and leaning over.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindMartelle-Wind gust measured at 95 mph on personal weather station.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindMartelle-Widespread straight-line winds that produced extensive damage were reported throughout Jones County, associated with a derecho. These winds lasted around an hour in total at any one location, even though the initial line of storms moved out quickly. Damaging straight-line winds continued and were associated with the rear inflow jet. Maximum wind speeds were estimated to be 80 to 100 MPH for much of the county, with an area of 100 MPH or higher in the south central part of the county. These estimates were determined based off damage reports and photos submitted through social media. The duration of strong winds caused extensive damage to most trees, powerlines, crops, and structures in their path. The widespread damage also resulted in long duration power outages.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindMartelle-Emergency management reported a tree blown down onto a home.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindMartelle-A wooden barn nearly flattened by strong winds.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindMartelle-Emergency management reported part of a machine shed wall and roof damaged.
April 2019Thunderstorm WindMartelle-The emergency manager reported that a fire truck was moved by a thunderstorm wind gust.
November 2015Thunderstorm WindMartelle-County emergency manager reported a tree was blown down on a road with minor damage to a structure.
November 2015Thunderstorm WindMartelle-The county emergency manager reported a tree blown down.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindMartelle-A roof was blown off a building and landed 200 to 300 feet away.
June 2014HailMartelle-The emergency manager reported ping pong ball size hail along with power lines down.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindMartelle-A trained spotter reported a path of damage from 1 mile west of Martelle to 2 miles east of Martelle. Trees of 6 to 12 inches in diameter were blown down and one tree had a diameter of 3 feet. An old barn and silo were also blown down.
May 2014HailMartelle-Quarter sized hail fell about 1 mile north of Martelle, IA around 820 pm CDT May 20.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindMartelle-Wind gusts estimated to be 60 to 65 mph were observed 5 miles south of Martelle, IA at 546 pm CDT June 29. This report was relayed by the Jones County EMA.
April 2008HailMartelle-A deputy sheriff reported nickel size hail between Morley and Martell.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindMartelle-Spotter reports estimated 60 mph winds. The emergency manager in Anamosa reported a measured 49 knot (56 mph) wind gust.
May 2004HailMartelle-Accumulated 1-2 inches deep on roads
May 2004HailMartelle-Accumulated 2 inches deep
May 2004HailMartelle-Also reported by spotters
June 1999Tornado (F0)Martelle-A tornado touched down briefly causing no damage or injuries.
June 2015HailMartelle-no account filed
May 2004HailMartelle-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Jones 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
Fairview4.2 miles14
Morley6.1 miles15
Stone City6.4 miles14
Anamosa7.2 miles14
Newport8.6 miles15
Jackson9.2 miles14
Olin11.7 miles12
Cass (historical)12.0 miles14

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 MartelleAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1929927The 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 458825. 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.