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Osceola, Iowa

9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1951 and the latest in 1984. It stands in Osceola City. It lies in ZIP code area 50213. The Survey maps it on the Osceola quadrangle. 5,415 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,142 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Osceola within Clarke County

On record in Osceola

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 7 records

Population over time

3 figures

Osceola grew from 4,659 to 5,415 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.

YearPeople Change
20004,659
20104,929+270 (+6%)
20205,415+486 (+10%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

7 surveys from 9 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

1 since 2013

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1 fire within 5 miles of Osceola in 2013, burning about 10 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
Debris and open burning1

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
4 April 2013Debris and open burning10 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Clarke 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 Osceola: 2 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Zinc, Clay. 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
Drill HoleZincPast ProducerSphalerite
Siegel Brick and Tile YardClayPast Producer
Osceola Central ShopStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Osceola Quarry and MillStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer

Every working recorded in Clarke County

Storms near this place

60 of 103 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Osceola in 103 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 34 thunderstorm wind, 29 hail, 28 heavy rain, 6 flash flood. The reports record 1 injury. 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
March 2002Thunderstorm WindOsceola1 hurt, $30,000Driver of semi-tractortrailer rig received minor injuries as rig was blown off the highway.
April 2024Tornado (EF2)Osceola$400,000The emergency manager provided several reports of damage along the path of this tornado. The tornado began just southeast of the Osceola Rest Area along Interstate 35 and travelled northeast through the town of Osceola. EF2 damage was done just southwest of town where a roof was removed from a house along 225th Avenue. There was mainly EF0 to EF1 damage through Osceola from tree damage and limited roof damage to homes in town. The tornado emerged from the northeast side of Osceola and continued northeast through rural Clarke County. The tornado dissipated near Lilac Street after impacting one last farmstead.
May 2015Thunderstorm WindOsceola$250,000Around 82 train cars were blown over. Several very large trees were uprooted in a narrow corridor. Many branches were snapped and several farm buildings lost roofs.
September 2014Flash FloodOsceola$150,000Highway 69 south of town closed due to water from a creek over the road. Several other roads in town flooded.
May 2015Thunderstorm WindOsceola$50,000A wooden barn was completely destroyed along 180th Ave.
March 2014Tornado (EF0)Osceola$50,000Spotter about 1.5 miles north of the tornado saw small rope funnel which lasted only a couple of minutes. Initially encountered a house and tore a small section of roofing away. Also tipped over a parked semi-trailer scattering debris into the field across the road. Tornado proceeded northeast and tore the roof off an old farm machinery building on the west side of Highway 69 and then snapped one power pole in a farm field before dissipating.
July 2001HailOsceola$50,000no account filed
October 2001HailOsceola$50,000no account filed
June 1998FloodOsceola$50,000no account filed
October 2001Thunderstorm WindOsceola$35,000no account filed
May 1996Thunderstorm WindOsceola$30,000no account filed
December 2021Thunderstorm WindOsceola$25,000Emergency manager reported trees down on power lines in Osceola. Time estimated from radar.
May 2014Flash FloodOsceola$25,000Highway 69 south of Osceola was closed with water over the road from White Breast Creek.
July 2008Flash FloodOsceola$25,000White breast and South Creeks were out of their banks. Water was over 255th St along White breast Creek. A culvert was washed out. Pine street was closed due to high water. Several basements were flooded.
May 2011LightningOsceola$25,000no account filed
September 2001Thunderstorm WindOsceola$25,000no account filed
August 2011Thunderstorm WindOsceola$20,000A spotter estimated wind gusts of 68 MPH.
June 2011Flash FloodOsceola$20,000Several closures along U.S. Highway 69 south of Osceola due to water over the road.
July 2002Thunderstorm WindOsceola$20,000no account filed
August 1997Thunderstorm WindOsceola$15,000no account filed
July 1997Thunderstorm WindOsceola$15,000no account filed
August 2011Thunderstorm WindOsceola$10,000High winds damaged trees and tore shingles off of a house.
September 2008Flash FloodOsceola$10,000Water was partially covering Highway 69.
July 2008FloodOsceola$10,000Highway 169 was closed one half mile south of Osceola with water over the road.
July 2008Flash FloodOsceola$10,000White breast Creek was out of its banks with shallow water over Highway 69.
May 2004Thunderstorm WindOsceola$10,000no account filed
August 2003Thunderstorm WindOsceola$10,000no account filed
June 2001Thunderstorm WindOsceola$10,000no account filed
July 2001Thunderstorm WindOsceola$10,000no account filed
May 1997HailOsceola$10,000no account filed
April 2023Thunderstorm WindOsceola$5,000Shed blown over, time estimated by radar.
April 2015HailOsceola$5,000A large amount of hail was reported. It was mostly small hail with a few of the larger stones up to half dollar in size. The hail lasted 5 minutes.
April 2012Thunderstorm WindOsceola$5,000Estimated winds of 60 MPH.
August 2009HailOsceola$5,000no account filed
August 2004Thunderstorm WindOsceola$5,000no account filed
August 2004HailOsceola$5,000no account filed
March 2002Thunderstorm WindOsceola$5,000no account filed
October 2001HailOsceola$5,000no account filed
June 2000Thunderstorm WindOsceola$5,000no account filed
May 1998Thunderstorm WindOsceola$5,000no account filed
April 2012HailOsceola$3,000Dime to quarter size hail along with 1.67 inches of rain in 20 minutes.
April 2006Thunderstorm WindOsceola$3,000no account filed
June 2005Thunderstorm WindOsceola$3,000no account filed
September 2001Thunderstorm WindOsceola$3,000no account filed
June 2000Thunderstorm WindOsceola$3,000no account filed
March 1995HailOsceola$3,000no account filed
April 2014LightningOsceola$2,000A car was struck by lightning on U.S. 34 near Osceola. The trunk caught fire.
June 2005HailOsceola$2,000no account filed
July 1996HailOsceola$2,000no account filed
June 2011HailOsceola$1,000Public submitted a picture of the hail being measured from the night before to KCCI's ulocal page.
June 2006HailOsceola$1,000no account filed
June 1999Thunderstorm WindOsceola$1,000no account filed
March 2025Thunderstorm WindOsceola-Tree down blocking the roadway.
May 2025HailOsceola-Report relayed by broadcast media. Delayed report, time estimated by radar.
August 2025Heavy RainOsceola-Event total rainfall of 3.3 inches from personal weather station.
September 2025Thunderstorm WindOsceola-Iowa DOT instrument reported a gust of 61 mph. Also received public reports of strong winds in Osceola.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindOsceola-Tower blown down at dispatch office in Clarke county. Numerous trees in Osceola of 14-16 diameter also damaged. Estimated winds of 60 to 70 mph.
April 2023HailOsceola-Report via social media.
April 2023HailOsceola-Golf ball to slightly larger sized hail.
April 2023HailOsceola-Report from mping, time estimated.

Every storm recorded in Clarke 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
Groveland (historical)3.8 miles7
Jamison6.4 miles10
Leslie6.5 miles7
Lacelle7.8 miles7
Green Bay (historical)8.2 miles7
Woodburn8.9 miles10
Ottawa9.2 miles10
Liberty9.7 miles10

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 OsceolaAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1913383The 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 459906. 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.