BlockMercer, Iowa
8 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Mercer Township. It lies in ZIP code area 50841. The Survey maps it on the Corning South quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 8 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.
- 1955 USGS Nebraska City quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Nebraska City quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Nebraska City quadrangle1:250000
- 1980 USGS Corning South quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Mount Ayr quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
7 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 7 fires within 5 miles of Mercer between 2006 and 2018, burning about 34 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 | 5 |
| Debris and open burning | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 September 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 19 August 2012 | Debris and open burning | 1.5 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 6 June 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 14 April 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 28 March 2013 | Debris and open burning | 25 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 24 March 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 16 March 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
9 since 2010Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Mercer in 9 storm reports between 2010 and 2024: 3 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood, 1 funnel cloud. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | Tornado (EF1) | Mercer | $100,000 | This tornado developed in rural Adams County southeast of Corning. It remained in agricultural fields initially before impacting a farmstead along Highway 34. Two outbuildings were damaged at this location. Additional homesteads were impacted with mostly minor damage. The EF1 damage occurred just before the tornado departed the county were a grove of trees sustained more significant damage. The tornado then entered Union County just northwest of Cromwell. |
| May 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mercer | $75,000 | Barn blown down by high winds. |
| April 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mercer | $50,000 | A semi was reported flipped and a shed destroyed along Hwy 34. |
| June 2014 | Hail | Mercer | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Flash Flood | Mercer | $20,000 | Adams County Law Enforcement reported the Adams-Taylor County Line Road was impassible between Poplar Ave and Orange Ave. |
| August 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Mercer | $10,000 | Two foot diameter tree snapped. One to 1.5 inch diameter flagpole bent southwest approximately 30 degrees along Highway 34. Winds estimated at 70 MPH. |
| June 2010 | Hail | Mercer | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Mercer | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Funnel Cloud | Mercer | - | Funnel cloud approaching the ground, moving east. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Icarid (historical) | 4.1 miles | 8 | |
| Queen City (historical) | 5.4 miles | 9 | |
| Stringtown | 5.4 miles | 8 | |
| Prescott | 5.8 miles | 9 | |
| Corning | 5.8 miles | 8 | |
| Iveyville | 8.3 miles | 8 | |
| Brooks | 8.4 miles | 8 | |
| Quincy | 10.0 miles | 9 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 464650. 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.