BlockBefore

Alpha, Idaho

17 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1894 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Cascade census division. It lies in ZIP code area 83611. It stands on Skunk Creek. The Survey maps it on the Alpha quadrangle.

Alpha within Valley County

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 surveys from 17 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

115 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 115 fires within 5 miles of Alpha between 1992 and 2020, burning about 273 acres in total. 61 started naturally. 3 were 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
Natural61
Missing data/not specified/undetermined14
Recreation and ceremony14
Smoking10
Debris and open burning7
Arson/incendiarism3
Misuse of fire by a minor3
Equipment and vehicle use2
Fireworks1

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
9 September 1993Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreIdaho Department of LandsFENCE
8 September 2009Naturalunder an acreBoise DistrictISLAND RANCH
6 September 2013Naturalunder an acreBoise National ForestSKUNK
5 September 2013Naturalunder an acreIdaho Department of LandsROUND VALLEY
3 September 2000Naturalunder an acreBoise National ForestMARK WHITNEY
3 September 1995Naturalunder an acreIdaho Department of LandsHUCKLEBERRY 2
25 September 2011Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreIdaho Department of LandsHERRICK RES
25 September 2010Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSouth Idaho Timber Protective Association, Idaho Department of LandsSIXTY LANE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Valley County

Mines and quarries near this place

3 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Alpha: 2 unknowns, 1 occurrence. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Thorium, Geothermal, REE. 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
Cabarton Hot SpringsGeothermalOccurrence
Corral CreekThorium, REEUnknown
Clear CreekThoriumUnknown

Every working recorded in Valley County

Storms near this place

3 since 2010

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Alpha in 3 storm reports between 2010 and 2024: 2 heavy rain, 1 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
September 2024Heavy RainAlpha-The mesonet station TT433 at the IRAWS 54 measured heavy rain from nearby thunderstorms.
March 2023Heavy RainAlpha-The mesonet station COZI1 1.0 mile southwest of Deadwood Reservoir measured 1.20 inches of heavy rain.
August 2010Thunderstorm WindAlpha-Boise Forest Service Dispatch reported wind damage near Deadwood Reservoir including downed trees and power lines at Silver Creek Campground.

Every storm recorded in Valley 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
Cabarton3.5 miles17
Belvidere6.0 miles17
Smiths Ferry7.6 miles16
Cascade8.8 miles13
High Valley13.9 miles16
Arling16.3 miles13
Williams Creek Summit Home Area16.8 miles16
MacGregor (historical)21.1 miles13

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 396033. 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.