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Dalton, Minnesota

13 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1913 and the latest in 1986. It stands in Dalton City. It lies in ZIP code area 56324. The Survey maps it on the Dalton quadrangle. 215 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,371 feet above sea level.

Dalton within Otter Tail County

Population over time

2 figures

Dalton fell from 253 to 215 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
2010253
2020215-38 (-15%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

7 surveys from 13 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

7 since 2003

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 7 fires within 5 miles of Dalton between 2003 and 2012, burning about 95 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
Debris and open burning3
Missing data/not specified/undetermined2
Arson/incendiarism1
Equipment and vehicle use1

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
31 August 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined8.0 acresFergus Falls Wetland Management DistrictTEN MILE
15 May 2003Arson/incendiarism1.0 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
5 April 2010Equipment and vehicle use4.5 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
28 April 2010Debris and open burningunder an acreMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
28 April 2010Debris and open burningunder an acreMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
28 April 2010Debris and open burning45 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
28 April 2010Missing data/not specified/undetermined36 acresFergus Falls Wetland Management DistrictARFSTEN/DALTON

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Otter Tail County

Storms near this place

36 since 1998

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Dalton in 36 storm reports between 1998 and 2023: 19 thunderstorm wind, 11 hail, 5 tornado, 1 flash flood. The reports record 1 death and 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 2020Tornado (EF4)Dalton1 killed, 2 hurt, $1,500,000This tornado began in Grant County, but after about two miles, it crossed into Otter Tail County, where it ended about 5 miles east of Dalton. The total track through both counties was about 9 miles. Peak winds were estimated at 170 mph, based on available damage indicators. At least 10 farmsteads were impacted, with three homes, one pole shed, and one machine shed destroyed.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindDalton$400,000A detached garage was destroyed, house roofing torn off, trees snapped, and a center pivot irrigation system flipped over along or near the south shore of Ten Mile Lake. Numerous large ash and spruce trees were also snapped or uprooted on east and northeast edges of the lake, and across much of Tumuli and St. Olaf Townships. Information augmented by NWS Storm Damage Survey. Winds gusts estimated from 70 to 90 mph. Time estimated based on radar.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindDalton$150,000A fifth wheel dual-axle camper was flipped over near Stalker Lake. Numerous large trees were snapped or uprooted around Stalker and Long Lakes. One pole shed had its south facing wall blown inward and sheet metal panels blown off. Information augmented by NWS Damage Survey. Winds gusts estimated from 70 to 90 mph. Time estimated based on radar.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindDalton$10,000Several one to two foot diameter trees were snapped off. Nearby corn fields were stripped by hail.
July 2003Tornado (F1)Dalton$5,000This tornado had a 1 mile intermittent track along which several large trees were blown down. One tree was sheared off nearly to the ground. Tin was also turned up along a shed roof.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindDalton$3,000A tree was blown into a garage and a truck.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindDalton-Personal weather station reports 73 MPH gust.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindDalton-Several spruce trees were blown down near Ten Mile Lake Resort. Time estimated based on radar.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindDalton-Numerous large trees were snapped or uprooted from swan lake, down through Dalton to Ten Mile Lake in Lane Prairie and Tumuli Townships.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindDalton-Large trees were blown down from about 3 miles west of Dalton, through town, and to points east and northeast of town. Winds gusts estimated from 70 to 80 mph. Time estimated based on radar.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindDalton-The south wall of a pole shed was blown in, with the roofing and roof trusses torn up. A couple of power poles in the area were cracked.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindDalton-Tree branches of up to 6 inches in diameter snapped.
June 2017HailDalton-Dime to quarter sized hail fell across southern Dane Prairie Township. Some smaller tree branches were also blown down.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindDalton-A large evergreen was snapped about halfway down. Power outages were reported across the area.
July 2015Tornado (EF0)Dalton-This tornado occurred about a mile west of Interstate 94, near mile marker 62. The tornado crossed a small lake and briefly expanded in size, but then dissipated quickly. Peak winds were estimated at 75 mph.
June 2015HailDalton-Large hail and very heavy rain fell along Interstate 94 between Dalton and Ashby.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindDalton-A few six to eight inch diameter tree limbs were blown down. At least one garage roof was also damaged as a result.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindDalton-An eight inch diameter tree branch was blown down and power was out.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindDalton-Several large four to six inch diameter tree branches were blown down around town.
June 2006HailDalton-The hail fell across Interstate 94 near the Otter Tail and Grant county line.
July 2005Flash FloodDalton-Areas of overland flooding developed in southwest Otter Tail county, especially across portions of Western, Aastad, and Tumuli townships. Several section roads were blocked off in response to the high water and degraded road conditions.
August 2005Thunderstorm WindDalton-A tree was blown down near mile post 66 on Interstate 94.
August 2004Thunderstorm WindDalton-The gust was measured by a Davis wind system.
June 2001Tornado (F0)Dalton-A brief touchdown was reported west of Dalton.
August 2000Thunderstorm WindDalton-Minor roof damage occurred during the strong wind.
June 1999Tornado (F0)Dalton-A touchdown occurred at South Ten Mile Lake, causing minor damage. A 16 foot boat and trailer were flipped over, shingles were stripped off roofs, and a grain bin was moved off its foundation.
August 2004HailDalton-no account filed
July 2003HailDalton-no account filed
July 2003HailDalton-no account filed
July 2002Thunderstorm WindDalton-no account filed
August 2001HailDalton-no account filed
August 2001HailDalton-no account filed
August 2001HailDalton-no account filed
July 1999Thunderstorm WindDalton-no account filed
July 1998HailDalton-no account filed
July 1998HailDalton-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Otter Tail 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
Parkdale6.6 miles9
Underwood8.0 miles12
Wall Lake8.5 miles12
Squier9.2 miles9
Lakeview Estates11.2 miles11
Fergus Falls11.4 miles11
River Bluff Estates12.7 miles11
Battle Lake13.0 miles13

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 DaltonAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2232285The 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 642612. 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.