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Iola, Kansas

18 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1886 and the latest in 1990. It stands in Iola City. It lies in ZIP code area 66749. It stands on Rock Creek. The Survey maps it on the Iola quadrangle. 5,396 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 971 feet above sea level.

Iola within Allen County

On record in Iola

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 4 records

Population over time

2 figures

Iola fell from 5,704 to 5,396 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.

YearPeople Change
20105,704
20205,396-308 (-5%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

11 surveys from 18 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

55 since 2015

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 55 fires within 5 miles of Iola between 2015 and 2020, burning about 393 acres in total. None started naturally. 15 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
Debris and open burning24
Arson/incendiarism15
Missing data/not specified/undetermined11
Equipment and vehicle use2
Recreation and ceremony1
Smoking1
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
2 September 2017Arson/incendiarismunder an acreAllen County215
6 August 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreKansas Forest Service225
22 August 2020Recreation and ceremony2.0 acresKansas Forest Servicenot named
22 August 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreAllen County22
5 July 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreKansas Forest Service145
18 July 2017Arson/incendiarismunder an acreAllen County180
15 June 2020Missing data/not specified/undetermined3.0 acresKansas Forest Servicenot named
7 April 2017Debris and open burning2.0 acresAllen County14

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Allen County

Storms near this place

60 of 189 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Iola in 189 storm reports between 1994 and 2026: 85 hail, 61 thunderstorm wind, 14 flash flood, 14 flood. The reports record 1 injury. 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 2021Thunderstorm WindIola1 hurtA large tree was uprooted with numerous other reports of tree and limbs down. One tree fell on top of a car.
July 2007Flash FloodIola$6,000,000Extremely heavy rainfall from the end of June into early July caused flash flooding throughout Allen County. The flash flooding and the ensuing river flooding caused an estimated 3 million dollars in damages to private property and 3 million dollars in damage to public infrastructure. Additionally, the flood water damaged and estimated 8,000 acres of crops. Moderate flooding occurred on the Neosho River with a crest of 26.9 feet recorded at Iola. This was 11.9 feet above flood stage. The river remained above flood stage until the afternoon of July 3rd.
April 1994Thunderstorm WindIola$500,000Winds estimated over 100 mph caused extensive damage including recreational vehicles turned over, picture windows and car windows blown out, a garage was moved six inches off its foundation, uprooted trees, and destroyed three barns.
April 2014HailIola$350,000A prolific hail producing storm dropped large hail across the city of Iola for twelve minutes. The hail ranged in size from tennis ball size (2.5 inches) to ping pong ball size (1.5 inches). There was widespread hail damage to roofs and cars across town.
October 2016Flash FloodIola$200,000The Emergency manager reported flooding of roadways and stranded cars, especially on the west side of Iola and just west of town.
May 2003Tornado (F1)Iola$150,000Damage summary: 4NW Iola: Oil tank toppled, farm vehicle flipped over, several trees shreaded, and power poles snapped.
March 2002Thunderstorm WindIola$100,000Dairy farm hit. Damage summary: Roof blown off a machine shop, a lean-to blown over, downed power lines, and most of the cattle pens that were tossed. One head of cattle sustained minor injuries. One quarter mile east of the dairy farm, a delivery truck was blown onto it's side.
August 1998Thunderstorm WindIola$75,000Severe thunderstorm winds peeled off a 30-foot by 50-foot section of roofing from a business in Iola. The wind combined with heavy rain to damage much of the office area as well as most of the merchandise. Wind-driven rain also flooded sections of two schools in Iola.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindIola$50,000Numerous trees down in town. At least one tree was down on a house.
April 2010Thunderstorm WindIola$50,000A violent storm with winds estimated at 80 mph moved through Iola, partially collapsing a truck repair shop roof. The roof was also blown off the building across the street with the chimney partially destroyed. Numerous trees were blown down, some of the trees were three to four feet in diameter. A chimney was blown off the roof of a house crashing into a car.
March 2002Thunderstorm WindIola$50,000Windows blown out of unspecified number of cars and businesses. Trees and power lines downed.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindIola$50,000Tree damage, most noteworthy being a 50-foot tree falling onto a car.
May 2009Flash FloodIola$35,000Numerous county roads throughout the county were flooded from 2 to 4 inches of rainfall falling in a very short time period.
August 2001Thunderstorm WindIola$25,000Power poles downed.
April 2023Thunderstorm WindIola$20,000Tree damage was noted in Iola.
May 2020Thunderstorm WindIola$20,000Utility poles were snapped in half on the west side of town.
April 2015Thunderstorm WindIola$20,000Numerous trees were blown down across the county. Several roads were blocked due to downed trees.
August 2006Thunderstorm WindIola$15,000Two large trees were downed, windows from a house were shattered, and two barns sustained damage.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindIola$10,000Winds estimated from 60-70 mph downed trees and power lines, causing power outages. Windows were broken in an unspecified number of houses.
March 2009Thunderstorm WindIola$10,000A semi tractor trailer was overturned a half mile south of the Highway 54 and Highway 169 intersection.
September 2009Flash FloodIola$10,000Numerous roads were closed across the county due to the heavy rains. Some damage occurred where streams intersected roadways and washed out culverts. Several streets on the south side of Iola were closed by the high water. Rainfall amounts measured 3.95 inches.
September 1998Thunderstorm WindIola$10,000trees and power lines downed.
September 2012Thunderstorm WindIola$8,000Tree damage reported across town.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindIola$5,000Power lines were reported down along with debris in the road.
April 2006Thunderstorm WindIola$5,000Trees were uprooted on the south side of Iola.
June 1995Thunderstorm WindIola$4,000Numerous trees and power lines were downed.
June 2009HailIola$2,500Car windsheilds were broken by the large hail along Highway 54.
October 2008Thunderstorm WindIola$2,000Wind damage was reported to a home and several trees near the intersection of South Dakota Road and 1000 Road.
October 2008Thunderstorm WindIola$2,000Thunderstorm winds damaged a barn.
August 2015FloodIola$1,000Heavy rains produced nuisance flooding of the usual flood prone areas.
October 2018FloodIola$500Westbound lanes of highway 54 on the east side of Iola were closed due to high water and flooding along the Rock Creek. Portions of highway 169 were also closed at the intersection of highway 54 due to the flooding.
July 1994Thunderstorm WindIola$500A large tree was blown down.
May 2020FloodIola$100Typical flood prone areas had water accumulate across town.
August 2019Flash FloodIola$100Several roadways and low water crossings were flooded from high water.
August 2019Flash FloodIola$100Various low water crossings were flooded across the county and in Iola.
October 2018FloodIola$100The Highway 169 and highway 54 interchange had minor flooding, possibly due to Rock Creek rising.
October 2018FloodIola$100County roads were flooded north of Iola. US Highway 169 was closed north of town.
April 2014FloodIola$100Numerous low water crossings were reported with water over them. Street flooding was also reported in the town of Iola, Kansas.
July 2010Flash FloodIola$100Numerous county roads were closed across the county.
July 2010Flash FloodIola$100Water was reported over some county roads west of Iola. Nearly 3.20 inches of rainfall caused water to flow over Florida and County road 200 and Missouri and County Road 600.
April 1994HailIola$50no account filed
June 2024Thunderstorm WindIola-Iola Airport measured a 62 mph wind gust. Some tree limbs were reported down in town along with some electrical outages.
August 2023FloodIola-There was a report of some street flooding in Iola. This was a delayed report and the time was estimated by radar.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindIola-Winds were estimated to be around 60 to 70 mph.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindIola-This was a measured wind gust at Allen County Airport.
June 2022Heavy RainIola-The Cocorahs observer 2 miles southeast of Iola reported 2.53 inches of rainfall in 24 hours.
March 2021Heavy RainIola-This was a 24 hour total.
March 2021Heavy RainIola-This is a 72 hour rainfall total.
May 2021Heavy RainIola-This is a 24 hour rainfall report of 3.8 inches at the Allen Co. Airport.
May 2021Heavy RainIola-This is a 24 hour rainfall report of 3.89 inches.
May 2021Heavy RainIola-This is a 24 hour rainfall report of 3.75 inches.
May 2021Heavy RainIola-This is a 24 hour rainfall report of 3.26 inches.
May 2021Heavy RainIola-This is a 24 hour rainfall report of 3.509 inches. They also mentioned that the Deer Creek north of Iola was out of its banks. This report was relayed via Twitter.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindIola-This was a measured wind gust at the Allen county airport.
September 2021Heavy RainIola-A cocorahs observer reported 6.67 inches of rainfall.
September 2021Heavy RainIola-A cocorahs observer reported 4.05 inches.
October 2021Heavy RainIola-This is a 24 hour rainfall report of 3.18 inches at KK88 Airport in Iola.
December 2021Thunderstorm WindIola-This was a measured gust.
May 2020HailIola-Location was on the north side of town.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindIola-Dime size hail was also reported.

Every storm recorded in Allen 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
Bassett1.5 miles18
Gas2.9 miles18
Carlyle4.8 miles18
La Harpe5.4 miles18
Humboldt8.1 miles18
Geneva8.1 miles16
Moran12.2 miles17
Petrolia12.9 miles20

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 IolaAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1913925The 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 474498. 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.

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.