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Western, Iowa

14 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1887 and the latest in 1994. It stands in College Township. It lies in ZIP code area 52404. The Survey maps it on the Swisher quadrangle.

Western within Linn County

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 14 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

60 since 2006

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 60 fires within 5 miles of Western between 2006 and 2020, burning about 209 acres in total. 1 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/undetermined29
Debris and open burning24
Equipment and vehicle use4
Natural1
Recreation and ceremony1
Smoking1

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
5 September 2012Naturalunder an acreIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
30 September 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
30 September 2007Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
4 August 2012Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
25 August 2013Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
19 August 2016Debris and open burning2.0 acresIowa Department of Natural ResourcesJEFFERSON-MONROE FD
9 July 2012Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
6 July 2006Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIowa Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Linn 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 Western: 4 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Schultz PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
UnknownStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
W.J. Turecek QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Wray QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer

Every working recorded in Linn County

Storms near this place

13 since 2012

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Western in 13 storm reports between 2012 and 2026: 9 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind. 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2012Thunderstorm WindWestern$25,000Wind gusts estimated to be 60 mph damaged the Kirkwood Community College outdoor stage and caused a power outage on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids, IA at 527 pm CDT June 29.
March 2026HailWestern-A public report of 1.0 inch hail was received via social media. There was a picture of the hailstone next to a quarter.
March 2026HailWestern-A trained spotter reported hail ranging in size from 1 to 2 inches in diameter. The time of the event was estimated using radar.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindWestern-A trained spotter reported a 3.5 inch tree limb down.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindWestern-Large tree limb was snapped.
November 2022HailWestern-A public report of quarter sized near Kirkwood Community College received via Facebook.
September 2013Thunderstorm WindWestern-A trained spotter estimated wind speeds of 60 mph with heavy rain on the southwest side of town. They also reported seeing possible rotation in the clouds.
September 2013HailWestern-A trained spotter reported that penny to nickel sized hail fell near the GE Building on Highway 30 and C St. SW.
March 2026HailWestern-no account filed
March 2026HailWestern-no account filed
March 2026HailWestern-no account filed
March 2026HailWestern-no account filed
April 2020HailWestern-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Linn 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
Konigsmark3.1 miles16
Ely3.1 miles16
Summit3.9 miles16
Lincolnway Village4.0 miles16
Kirkwood Estates4.1 miles16
Worthington Acres4.5 miles16
Perrys Rollin' Homes Manor4.9 miles16
Otis6.0 miles15

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 462931. 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.