New Columbia, Illinois
17 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1918 and the latest in 1987. It stands in Georges Creek precinct. It lies in ZIP code area 62943. It sits by New Columbia Bluffs. The Survey maps it on the Mermet quadrangle. It stands 528 feet above sea level.
Topographic sheets covering this place
12 surveys from 17 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.
- 1918 USGS Vienna quadrangle1:62500
- 1919 USGS Vienna quadrangle1:62500
- 1942 USGS Vienna quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1949 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1950 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000
- 1954 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1961 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1964 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1966 USGS Mermet quadrangle1:24000
- 1984 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:100000
- 1986 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:100000
- 1987 USGS Paducah quadrangle1:250000
Fires near this place
16 since 2009Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 16 fires within 5 miles of New Columbia between 2009 and 2013, burning about 109 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 | 9 |
| Debris and open burning | 5 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 August 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | PORTIAN |
| 30 August 2012 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | FENDON |
| 28 August 2012 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | SUTTER |
| 6 June 2011 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | RAILROAD |
| 7 March 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 9.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | CROSSSROADS |
| 7 March 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | COLUMBIA |
| 7 March 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4.0 acres | Illinois Division of Forestry Resources | STRATMAYER |
| 20 March 2009 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Shawnee National Forest | QUAIL |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
1 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of New Columbia: 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed Limestone Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
16 since 1997Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names New Columbia in 16 storm reports between 1997 and 2024: 8 thunderstorm wind, 5 hail, 2 lightning, 1 funnel cloud. The reports record 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2011 | Lightning | New Columbia | 2 hurt | Lightning struck a moving motorcycle on Interstate 24 near exit 27. The motorcycle crashed in the median. The two people on the motorcycle were taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries. |
| April 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | New Columbia | $100,000 | An spotter estimated a wind gust to 70 MPH occurred on Interstate 24, about one mile south of the Johnson County line. Highway construction signs were blown down. Extensive damage occurred at a nearby farm, where damage was estimated around a quarter million dollars. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | New Columbia | $70,000 | Widespread damaging winds occurred across the county. Numerous trees and power lines were down. The roof was lifted off a business in Metropolis. Trees landed on some structures, including a carport near Brookport, a trailer near Round Knob, and a house in Metropolis. |
| July 2015 | Lightning | New Columbia | $40,000 | A lightning strike started a house fire that caused major damage. |
| April 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | New Columbia | $15,000 | A home had roughly 40% of roof shingles blown off as a thunderstorm moved through. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | New Columbia | $15,000 | A barn was blown down. The barn was estimated to be about 70 years old. The barn was about 30 feet tall and likely contained a hay loft. Large tree limbs were blown down nearby. A nearby corn field was partially flattened. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | New Columbia | $10,000 | At Round Knob, multiple tree branches were scattered around, some of which were large. Outbuildings were lost. A pole was bent over. Near New Columbia, large tree branches were blown down. |
| February 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | New Columbia | $10,000 | Several trees and power lines were down, and a vacant old trailer was blown over on County Road 700E near New Columbia. Debris from the trailer blocked the road. A tree was down on a road near Midway. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | New Columbia | $5,000 | Tree branches and some whole trees were blown down. |
| April 2023 | Hail | New Columbia | - | Nickel-size hail was also reported in the immediate vicinity, at Round Knob. |
| March 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | New Columbia | - | A trained spotter estimated wind gusts to 70 MPH. The underpinning of a trailer was blown away. |
| July 2012 | Hail | New Columbia | - | no account filed |
| March 2012 | Hail | New Columbia | - | no account filed |
| April 2003 | Hail | New Columbia | - | no account filed |
| April 2003 | Hail | New Columbia | - | no account filed |
| March 1997 | Funnel Cloud | New Columbia | - | 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.
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.
| Wikidata item Q7006639 | 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 414389. 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.











