Sioux Rapids, Iowa
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Sioux Rapids City. It lies in ZIP code area 50585. It stands on Soldier Creek. The Survey maps it on the Sioux Rapids quadrangle. 748 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,260 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Sioux Rapids
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 2 records
- Brooke Creek Bridgelisted 1998
- Sioux Theatrelisted 2012
Population over time
2 figuresSioux Rapids fell from 775 to 748 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 | 775 | |
| 2020 | 748 | -27 (-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.
- 1954 USGS Fort Dodge quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Fort Dodge quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Fort Dodge quadrangle1:250000
- 1971 USGS Sioux Rapids quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Storm Lake quadrangle1:100000, 3 printings
Fires near this place
3 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 3 fires within 5 miles of Sioux Rapids between 2006 and 2011, burning about 44 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 | 3 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 April 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 11 March 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 13 December 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 215TH AND 500TH, IA |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
9 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 9 workings within 5 miles of Sioux Rapids: 6 past producers, 3 producers. 3 still produce. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angier Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Collins Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Cornell Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Linn Grove Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Railroad Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
56 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Sioux Rapids in 56 storm reports between 1994 and 2024: 26 hail, 20 flood, 8 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 1994 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sioux Rapids | $10,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage, including several trees blown down. The winds also caused roof damage to homes. |
| May 1998 | Lightning | Sioux Rapids | $10,000 | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sioux Rapids | $10,000 | no account filed |
| May 1994 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Flood | Sioux Rapids | - | Flooding continued from June on the Little Sioux River at Linn Grove, with declining river levels. The river fell below flood stage on the afternoon of July 2nd. |
| June 2024 | Flood | Sioux Rapids | - | The Little Sioux River at Linn Grove rose above flood stage the morning of June 21st, cresting around 11.97 feet above flood stage (29.97 feet) on June 23rd. This crest is in the Major Stage and broke the previous record. The river stayed above flood stage into July. For a more comprehensive description of flood damage, please see other entries for Buena Vista County. |
| June 2019 | Flood | Sioux Rapids | - | A continuation of flooding from May, the Little Sioux River at Linn Grove (gage site LNNI4) began the month at 1.50 feet above flood stage. Significant amounts of agricultural land remained flooded, and further impeded spring planting. |
| May 2019 | Flood | Sioux Rapids | - | This is a continuation of flooding from April. The Little Sioux River at Linn Grove (gage site LNNI4) hovered near flood stage with an early month crest at 0.24 feet above flood stage on May 12, before falling below flood stage on May 16. Late month rains pushed the river back over flood stage on May 24, reaching a crest in moderate flood stage of 1.63 feet above flood stage on May 31. Significant agricultural flooding persisted, with no opportunity for spring planting throughout the flood plain. The river remained at moderate flood stage at the end of the month. |
| March 2019 | Flood | Sioux Rapids | - | Snow melt and heavy rainfall (measured 1.27 inches at Spencer and 1.04 inches 4 miles east of Sioux Rapids) resulted in significant flooding of agricultural land. The Little Sioux River at Linn Grove (gage site LNNI4) reached the highest stage on record for the fourth time in nine months, cresting 6.13 feet above flood stage on March 16. The river remained in minor flood stage at the end of the month. |
| April 2019 | Flood | Sioux Rapids | - | Runoff from occasional precipitation in early April returned significant flooding of agricultural lands. The Little Sioux River at Linn Grove (gage site LNNI4) crested twice during the period. The first crest was 0.77 feet above flood stage on April 14. After a brief period below flood stage from April 23-29, a second crest occurred on April 30 at 0.17 feet above flood stage. The river remained in minor flood stage at the end of the month. |
| March 2018 | Flood | Sioux Rapids | - | Snow melt runoff on top of already high river levels produced minor flooding of lowland agricultural areas along middle portions of the Little Sioux River. River levels reached 0.4 feet above flood stage near Linn Grove (gage site LNNI4) by the end of the month. |
| April 2018 | Flood | Sioux Rapids | - | A continuation of flooding from March 2018, the river crested at minor flood level at Linn Grove (gage site LNNI4) 0.6 feet above flood stage on April 1. |
| April 2018 | Flood | Sioux Rapids | - | Flooding returned to the Little Sioux River in mid-April, and was generally minor with impacts limited to near river agricultural areas. Periodic rain and snow brought 1 to 3 inches of liquid equivalent in the week prior to a return to flood stage at Linn Grove (gage site LNNI4) on April 17. The river crested in moderate flood stage (1.5 feet above flood stage) on April 26, inundating a large amount of pasture and crop land along the flood plain as well as the city park in Sioux Rapids. The river remained in moderate flood stage at the end of the month. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sioux Rapids | - | Strong thunderstorm outflow knocked down power lines were and damaged numerous trees. Information was gleaned from social media. |
| March 2018 | Flood | Sioux Rapids | - | Runoff from snow melt along with periods of rainfall through mid March caused minor flooding of lowland agricultural areas along portions of the Little Sioux River. The river reached a crest of 0.9 feet above flood stage near Linn Grove (gage site LNNI4) on March 20. |
| July 2018 | Flood | Sioux Rapids | - | Significant amounts of crop and pasture land were severely impacted by major flooding as river levels climbed to 3.9 feet above flood stage at Linn Grove (gage site LNNI4) on July 1. |
| May 2018 | Flood | Sioux Rapids | - | Minor flooding of the Little Sioux River continued from April, impacting near-river agricultural areas. However, rainfall was relentless over the first two weeks of May, totaling a widespread 3 to 5 inches in the upper Little Sioux Basin, including 5.01 inches at Lake Park, 4.85 inches 4 miles northwest of Milford, 4.69 inches in Spirit Lake, 3.95 inches near Everly and 3.20 inches at Spencer. There were multiple crests at Linn Grove (gage site LNNI4) during the following three weeks, with the highest crest reaching moderate flooding (1.7 feet above flood stage) on May 15, inundating a large amount of pasture and crop land along the flood plain as well as the city park in Sioux Rapids. The river dropped below flood stage on May 26. |
| September 2018 | Flood | Sioux Rapids | - | Rainfall throughout the Little Sioux Basin during the period of September 18-21 totaled generally 4 to 8 inches, resulting in record flooding. Significant crop and pasture land was flooded, and city and county parks along the reach of the river were severely inundated. The Little Sioux River at Linn Grove (gage site LNNI4) crested at 5.9 feet above flood stage on September 22, the second record crest of the year. The river remained in minor flood at the end of the month. |
| October 2018 | Flood | Sioux Rapids | - | Minor flooding of agricultural land occurred as well as inundation of the city park in Sioux Rapids as the Little Sioux River at Linn Grove (gage site LNNI4) crested 1.0 feet above flood stage on October 14. |
| June 2018 | Flood | Sioux Rapids | - | A week of prolific rainfall ending June 26 resulted in a widespread 4 to 7 inches of rainfall, much of which occurred on June 20 and 24. Specific weekly totals included 3.65 4 miles east of Sioux Rapids, 4.03 at Spencer and 6.70 near Everly. Record flooding occurred with significant amounts of crop and pasture land inundated, as well as the city park in Sioux Rapids as the river crested at Linn Grove (gage site LNNI4) at 5.4 feet above flood stage on June 27. The river remained in major flood stage at the end of the month. |
| October 2018 | Flood | Sioux Rapids | - | A continuation of flooding from September, river levels on the Little Sioux River at Linn Grove (gage site LNNI4) continued to fall in early October. Impacts were limited to minor agricultural flooding. |
| April 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sioux Rapids | - | Thunderstorm winds caused minor tree damage. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sioux Rapids | - | Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree damage, including numerous trees blown down. |
| April 2013 | Heavy Rain | Sioux Rapids | - | Rainfall of 2.79 inches was measured. |
| April 2010 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | Large hail covered the ground. |
| April 2010 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | Hail was accompanied by strong, but not damaging, winds. |
| April 2010 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | Hail covered the ground. |
| August 2008 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | Large hail covered the ground. |
| June 2008 | Flood | Sioux Rapids | - | Heavy rain caused continued minor flooding of farmland along the Little Sioux River. |
| August 2007 | Flood | Sioux Rapids | - | Heavy rainfall over several days, mainly upstream, caused minor flooding of the Little Sioux River. The river crested at 0.5 feet above flood stage at Linn Grove on August 29th.| |
| May 2007 | Flood | Sioux Rapids | - | Heavy rain caused flooding along the Little Sioux River. The river peaked at 1.6 feet above flood stage at Linn Grove on May 10th. |
| April 2007 | Flood | Sioux Rapids | - | Heavy rain at the end of March led to minor flooding along the Little Sioux River. Some lowlands along the river were flooded but no significant damage was reported. |
| September 2005 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | Large hail covered the ground. |
| September 2019 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | no account filed |
| September 2019 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | no account filed |
| March 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sioux Rapids | - | no account filed |
| April 2011 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | no account filed |
| April 2010 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | no account filed |
| April 2010 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | no account filed |
| March 2007 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sioux Rapids | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sioux Rapids | - | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | no account filed |
| September 1996 | Hail | Sioux Rapids | - | 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.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rembrandt | 4.7 miles | 9 | |
| Linn Grove | 5.1 miles | 9 | |
| Marathon | 9.2 miles | 8 | |
| Leverett | 9.5 miles | 8 | |
| Truesdale | 11.5 miles | 9 | |
| Albert City | 13.2 miles | 8 | |
| Elkton | 13.3 miles | 9 | |
| Alta | 16.9 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 Sioux Rapids | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1925584 | 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 461655. 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.




