Onawa, Iowa
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1986. It stands in Onawa City. It lies in ZIP code area 51040. The Survey maps it on the Onawa quadrangle. 2,906 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,050 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Onawa
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 4 records
Monona County Courthouselisted 1981
Onawa IOOF Opera Houselisted 1990
Onawa Public Librarylisted 1979
Newell A. Whiting Houselisted 1990
Population over time
3 figuresOnawa fell from 3,091 to 2,906 between 2000 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3,091 | |
| 2010 | 2,998 | -93 (-3%) |
| 2020 | 2,906 | -92 (-3%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 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.
- 1955 USGS Sioux City quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1958 USGS Sioux City quadrangle1:250000
- 1959 USGS Sioux City quadrangle1:250000
- 1969 USGS Onawa quadrangle1:24000
- 1986 USGS Sioux City South quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
8 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 8 fires within 5 miles of Onawa between 2006 and 2017, burning about 48 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 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 September 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 9 August 2012 | Smoking | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 9 August 2012 | Smoking | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 3 August 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 18 June 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 35 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 14 April 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 21 February 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 24 January 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
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 Onawa: 1 unknown. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morville | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown |
Storms near this place
45 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Onawa in 45 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 21 thunderstorm wind, 18 hail, 4 flash flood, 1 tornado. The reports record 2 injuries. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onawa | 2 hurt | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at over 60 mph blew some trees down on top of campers at the Lewis and Clark State Park, causing 2 minor injuries. Some campers in the area were also rolled due to the winds. |
| May 2007 | Flash Flood | Onawa | $1,440,000 | Rainfall of 3 to 4 inches produce flash flooding of streets in Onawa. Other creeks across the county flooded county roads causing road, bridge and levee damage. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onawa | $40,000 | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at over 60 mph caused roof damage to a business by displacing large air-conditioning units. The winds also blew the roof canopy off of a truck stop into cars in a parking lot. |
| August 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onawa | $12,000 | no account filed |
| August 2001 | Tornado (F0) | Onawa | $5,000 | A tornado touched down northwest of Onawa overturning a center pivot irrigation system according to a law enforcement official. The tornado was also captured on film from someone staying at the Lewis and Clark State Park. All of the pictures taken showed that the condensation portion of the tornado was very narrow. The path of the tornado crossed I-29 before lifting around 2 miles north northwest of Onawa. |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onawa | $5,000 | no account filed |
| March 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onawa | - | Public estimated wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph, lasting nearly 10 minutes. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Onawa | - | A report from mPING of 3.5 inch hail. |
| July 2021 | Hail | Onawa | - | Emergency manager relayed reported of 1.5 inch hail. |
| July 2019 | Flash Flood | Onawa | - | Three to five inches of rain caused some minor flooding on city streets. |
| August 2013 | Flash Flood | Onawa | - | Heavy rain caused some minor flash flooding of a few streets in the Onawa area. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onawa | - | The brick front of a building facet at a car dealership was blown off and fell onto a couple of automobiles. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Onawa | - | Hail up to quarter-size fell south of Onawa. |
| June 2012 | Flash Flood | Onawa | - | Rainfall of 2 to 3 inches in a few hours caused flash flooding across several street in the Onawa area. However, damage was apparently minimal. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onawa | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at over 60 mph downed trees in the Onawa area which blocked a few roads. Torrential rain also caused some brief street flooding in town. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onawa | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated at around 60 mph a little north of the Onawa area. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onawa | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts around 60 mph knocked a large tree down blocking a road in Onawa. The winds also blew down power lines trapping a traveler on a highway near town for a while until electrical crews could move the lines. |
| February 2009 | Hail | Onawa | - | Hail up to 3/4 inches in diameter was reported on the west side of Onawa. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onawa | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at over 60 mph knocked down a few trees up to 2 feet in diameter. Power lines were also downed in the vicinity. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onawa | - | Thunderstorm winds estimated at over 60 mph caused chimney damage to a house and downed a few tree limbs. |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onawa | - | Estimated thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| April 2006 | Funnel Cloud | Onawa | - | Several cold-air, or non-thunderstorm funnel clouds were reported from around Onawa toward Mapleton. These very narrow funnels did not appear to touch the ground, and were not even associated with any precipitation. Occasionally more than 1 appeared at the same time. These funnels were observed on both sides of the Missouri River from south of Omaha toward the Onawa area and made the local news reports. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onawa | - | Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 mph caused scattered tree damage around town, including 1 tree limb that fell onto a law enforcement vehicle causing significant damage. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onawa | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 70 mph broke or uprooted large trees, some up to 4 feet in diameter, from just west of Onawa to south of Blencoe. A large tree fell on a mobile home near Onawa. |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onawa | - | Thunderstorm wind gust estimated at around 60 mph by law enforcement. |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onawa | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts downed power lines which briefly closed Interstate 29 north of Onawa. |
| October 2000 | Hail | Onawa | - | Hail...some as large as 1.5 inches in diameter, covered the ground near Onawa. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onawa | - | Widespread trees damage. Power lines downed. |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onawa | - | Numerous trees downed. |
| September 2019 | Hail | Onawa | - | no account filed |
| March 2017 | Hail | Onawa | - | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Onawa | - | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Onawa | - | no account filed |
| April 2011 | Hail | Onawa | - | no account filed |
| August 2011 | Hail | Onawa | - | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Hail | Onawa | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Onawa | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Onawa | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Onawa | - | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Onawa | - | no account filed |
| August 2001 | Hail | Onawa | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onawa | - | no account filed |
| April 1998 | Hail | Onawa | - | no account filed |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onawa | - | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Onawa | - | 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.
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 Onawa | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1784165 | 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 459865. 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.




