Murray, Iowa
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1951 and the latest in 1984. It stands in Troy Township. It lies in ZIP code area 50174. The Survey maps it on the Murray quadrangle. 684 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,217 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresMurray fell from 756 to 684 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 | 756 | |
| 2020 | 684 | -72 (-10%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 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.
- 1951 USGS Osceola quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1954 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1956 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000
- 1969 USGS Des Moines quadrangle1:250000
- 1983 USGS Murray quadrangle1:24000
- 1984 USGS Indianola quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
1 since 2011Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1 fire within 5 miles of Murray in 2011, burning about 300 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 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 April 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 110TH AVE MURRAY IA, IA |
Mines and quarries near this place
1 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Murray: 1 past producer. None of them 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 129 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Murray in 129 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 44 heavy rain, 43 hail, 26 thunderstorm wind, 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2014 | Flash Flood | Murray | $250,000 | A trained spotter reported water over the roads with sewers backing up all over Murray Water 12 to 18 inces deep and running across Highway R15. |
| August 2014 | Flash Flood | Murray | $250,000 | The Clarke County dispatch said several roads and Highways were impassable. Water was covering the roads near the bridge south of Osceola on U.S. Highway 69. |
| April 2013 | Flood | Murray | $200,000 | Severe road erosion and washouts noted on some gravel roads. |
| April 2001 | Tornado (F2) | Murray | $125,000 | Tornado moved from Union County into Clarke County, then moved into Madison County. |
| May 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murray | $100,000 | Farm buildings were damaged or destroyed in the 1675 to 1700 blocks of Highway 34. A 2 X 10 was driven into the ground. |
| July 2015 | Flash Flood | Murray | $100,000 | Law Enforcement reported a culvert out on a road and numerous gravel roads flooded throughout the county. White Breast Creek was out of its banks. |
| September 2014 | Flash Flood | Murray | $100,000 | Several roads washed out and bridges washed out across the county. East Long Creek and Seven Mile Creek remain out of their banks. Residual high water remains on other creeks and streams with standing water in many places. Damage was reported to many road surfaces. |
| September 2014 | Flood | Murray | $100,000 | Several roads remained washed out and bridges washed out across the county. East Long Creek and Seven Mile Creek remained out of their banks. Residual high water remains on other creeks and streams with standing water in many places. Damage was reported to many road surfaces. |
| August 2014 | Flood | Murray | $100,000 | Several inches of water over 210th st from 2 southwest of Murray into Union County. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murray | $75,000 | Trained spotter reports wind gusts around 70 MPH lasting quite some time. Multiple large trees down, some on houses. Dime to nickel size hail also fell. |
| May 2008 | Tornado (EF1) | Murray | $50,000 | Damage was primarily done to outbuildings, power lines, and trees. |
| August 2007 | Flash Flood | Murray | $50,000 | Cars were reported stranded by high water flowing over a county road. |
| April 2012 | Hail | Murray | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murray | $40,000 | Emergency manager reported large trees and power lines down in Murray. |
| July 2009 | Flash Flood | Murray | $35,000 | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murray | $30,000 | Public reported multiple trees down, including one snapped at the trunk that was approximately 18 inches in diameter. Several power lines were also reported down in town. |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murray | $30,000 | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murray | $30,000 | no account filed |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murray | $25,000 | A 6 foot diameter tree was sheared off near the base, a 25 foot flag pole snapped, and a few signs mangled. Numerous 2 to 4 inch tree limbs down around town. |
| September 2016 | Flash Flood | Murray | $20,000 | Trained spotter reported flooding in Murray, including 6 to 8 inches of standing water in the City Park at the time of the report, a driveway culvert destroyed by water, a mobile home surrounded by 1 foot of standing water, and ditches with several feet of water. |
| May 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murray | $20,000 | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murray | $15,000 | A trained spotter reports a couple trees split, power lines down from falling branches, and an 8 by 12 foot section of a roof was damaged on a home in Murray. Some three inch or larger diameter branches down. |
| May 2018 | Hail | Murray | $10,000 | Trained spotter reported hail ongoing for the about 10 minutes, including up to golf ball sized hail. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murray | $10,000 | Tree branches 12 to 15 inches in diameter blown down. One tree was uprooted. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murray | $10,000 | Reported by a schoolnet site. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murray | $10,000 | Reported by a schoolnet site. |
| May 2011 | Hail | Murray | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 2019 | Hail | Murray | $5,000 | Trained spotter reported that hail had increased to golf ball in size. They also indicated that some even larger may have started to fall. |
| June 2019 | Hail | Murray | $5,000 | Trained spotter reported a mix of quarter to larger than golf ball sized hail. |
| June 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Murray | $5,000 | This tornado crossed over from Union County. Numerous spotters had pictures and videos of this tornado. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murray | $5,000 | no account filed |
| May 1997 | Hail | Murray | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Hail | Murray | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Hail | Murray | $3,000 | no account filed |
| September 2002 | Hail | Murray | $3,000 | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Hail | Murray | $3,000 | no account filed |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murray | $2,000 | Emergency manager stated home owner just west of Murray reported shingles blown off, flag pole snapped, and small tree branches down. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murray | $2,000 | Six inch tree branches were down. |
| August 2007 | Hail | Murray | $2,000 | In addition to the hail, intense lightning was also observed with this storm. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murray | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murray | $2,000 | no account filed |
| March 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murray | $1,000 | Delayed report of one inch tree limbs broken and shingles blown off. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murray | $1,000 | Trained spotter reported shingles starting to lift on house and metal paneling on barn starting to loosen. |
| May 2011 | Hail | Murray | $1,000 | Mainly nickel size hail with a few quarters mixed in. |
| June 2011 | Hail | Murray | $1,000 | no account filed |
| April 2010 | Hail | Murray | $1,000 | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Hail | Murray | $1,000 | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Hail | Murray | $1,000 | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Hail | Murray | $1,000 | no account filed |
| March 2025 | Hail | Murray | - | Dime to quarter sized hail. |
| June 2025 | Heavy Rain | Murray | - | Storm total precipitation of 3.5 inches. Still raining. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Murray | - | Public mping report of penny sized hail. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Murray | - | Public mping report of quarter sized hail. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murray | - | Public mping report of 3 inch tree limbs broken, power pole damage. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murray | - | Measured wind gust of 62mph, with 1 to 2 inch limbs broken off trees. Nearly an inch of rain in 30 minutes. |
| June 2023 | Hail | Murray | - | Trained spotter reported quarter sized hail. Also estimated wind gusts to around 40 mph at the time. |
| August 2023 | Funnel Cloud | Murray | - | Brief funnel cloud reported by spotter. |
| April 2022 | Heavy Rain | Murray | - | Storm total of 3.12 inches of rain. Rain occurring at observation. |
| June 2021 | Funnel Cloud | Murray | - | Spotter was west of Murray and viewing a funnel cloud to the north. |
| July 2021 | Heavy Rain | Murray | - | A 24 hour rain total of 3.10 inches. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hopeville | 7.3 miles | 7 | |
| Lacelle | 7.6 miles | 7 | |
| Groveland (historical) | 8.9 miles | 7 | |
| Osceola | 9.8 miles | 9 | |
| Leslie | 10.5 miles | 7 | |
| Green Bay (historical) | 12.7 miles | 7 | |
| Jamison | 13.1 miles | 10 | |
| Liberty | 17.2 miles | 10 |
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 Murray | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1813602 | 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 459410. 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.






