Stratford, Iowa
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1993. It stands in Marion Township. It lies in ZIP code area 50249. The Survey maps it on the Stratford quadrangle.
On record in Stratford
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 1 record
State Bank of Stratfordlisted 1983
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 Waterloo quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1955 USGS Waterloo quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1978 USGS Stratford quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Ames quadrangle1:100000
- 1993 USGS Ames quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
25 since 2009Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 25 fires within 5 miles of Stratford between 2009 and 2020, burning about 192 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 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 | 16 |
| Debris and open burning | 7 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 22 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 1305 370 ST STRATFORD, IA |
| 27 August 2013 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 3 July 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 26 July 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 1954 390TH ST. STRATFORD, IA |
| 19 July 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.5 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | 1336 330TH ST STRATFORD, IA |
| 14 July 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 9 June 2012 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Iowa Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
7 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 7 workings within 5 miles of Stratford: 6 past producers, 1 producer. 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dutcher Pits | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Faro Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Iles Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Knox Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Wrede Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
42 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Stratford in 42 storm reports between 1999 and 2025: 17 hail, 9 flood, 6 thunderstorm wind, 5 tornado. The reports record 1 death and 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2005 | Tornado (F3) | Stratford | 1 killed, 3 hurt, $11,700,000 | Tornado moved from Webster County in to Hamilton County. One woman was killed when her house collapsed. |
| December 2021 | Tornado (EF2) | Stratford | $180,000 | This tornado entered Hamilton County from Webster County just south of Stratford and passed just south and east of town. This produced tree damage and completely destroyed an outbuilding northeast of town. The tornado continued to produce damage northeast of Stratford to outbuildings and trees before entering the Boone River valley and dissipating south several miles south of Webster City. |
| December 2021 | Tornado (EF2) | Stratford | $100,000 | This tornado entered Hamilton County from Webster County. The tornado produced damage to multiple large utility poles along several county roads to the south and east of Stratford. The tornado finally lifted northwest of Stanhope as it approached the Boone River valley. |
| September 2018 | Flood | Stratford | $100,000 | The Boone River at Webster City crested at 14.40 feet on 23 September 2018 at 1800 UTC. |
| August 2015 | Flash Flood | Stratford | $50,000 | Hamilton County Law Enforcement reported road closures due to heavy rain and flooding. Locations include along Highway 175 from Stratford to Stanhope. One retirement home was evacuated due to high water. |
| August 2007 | Flood | Stratford | $50,000 | no account filed |
| March 2007 | Flood | Stratford | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Stratford | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Stratford | $40,000 | no account filed |
| October 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Stratford | $30,000 | no account filed |
| March 2010 | Flood | Stratford | $25,000 | no account filed |
| April 2007 | Flood | Stratford | $25,000 | no account filed |
| October 2007 | Flood | Stratford | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Stratford | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Stratford | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Stratford | $20,000 | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Hail | Stratford | $10,000 | Up to tennis ball size hail just south of town. |
| August 2010 | Flash Flood | Stratford | $10,000 | Highway 175 at the intersection of Fenton Ave is closed due to high water. |
| April 2007 | Flood | Stratford | $10,000 | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Hail | Stratford | $10,000 | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Stratford | $10,000 | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Stratford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Stratford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2000 | Lightning | Stratford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| April 2013 | Hail | Stratford | $3,000 | Hail was up to half dollar size. |
| February 2000 | Hail | Stratford | $3,000 | no account filed |
| July 2021 | Tornado (EF0) | Stratford | $2,000 | Tornado developed just northeast of Stratford and moved east northeast for duration of the event. Tornado remained almost entirely in agricultural fields. It did encounter a farmstead near the end of the path and produced some tree damage. As this tornado began to rope out, another tornado developed in close proximity and continued for some distance. Track was enhanced using hi-resolution satellite imagery. |
| June 2014 | Hail | Stratford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Stratford | $2,000 | no account filed |
| March 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Stratford | $1,600 | Tree fell on power line in Stratford. Time estimated from radar. |
| July 1999 | Hail | Stratford | $1,000 | no account filed |
| July 2024 | Heavy Rain | Stratford | - | Personal weather station reporting 3.7 inches storm total with rain still in progress. |
| April 2018 | Hail | Stratford | - | Public reported pea to nickel sized hail in Stratford. |
| June 2018 | Hail | Stratford | - | Public reported ping pong and golf ball sized hail. |
| September 2016 | Flood | Stratford | - | The Boone River at Webster City crested at 14.20 feet on 25 September 2016 at 1015 pm CDT. |
| August 2014 | Tornado (EF0) | Stratford | - | The tornado formed just northeast of Stratford and moved northeast producing crop and minor tree damage. This tornado merged with another tornado before dissipating. Tornado was found at rated using high resolution satellite imagery. |
| July 2010 | Heavy Rain | Stratford | - | Twenty four hour rainfall total of 1.57 inches. |
| June 2014 | Hail | Stratford | - | no account filed |
| March 2008 | Flood | Stratford | - | no account filed |
| April 2004 | Hail | Stratford | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Stratford | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Stratford | - | 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.
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 462029. 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.




