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Kelso, North Dakota

11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1918 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Kelso Township. It lies in ZIP code area 58045. The Survey maps it on the Kelso quadrangle.

Kelso within Traill County

Topographic sheets covering this place

7 surveys from 11 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

8 since 2005

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 8 fires within 5 miles of Kelso between 2005 and 2016, burning about 341 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
Debris and open burning6
Railroad operations and maintenance1
Missing data/not specified/undetermined1

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
8 August 2016Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresNorth Dakota State Forest Service1608019
6 May 2005Debris and open burning15 acresNorth Dakota State Forest Servicenot named
5 May 2005Debris and open burning5.0 acresNorth Dakota State Forest Servicenot named
5 May 2005Debris and open burning150 acresNorth Dakota State Forest Servicenot named
18 May 2016Debris and open burning4.0 acresNorth Dakota State Forest Service1605009
8 April 2005Debris and open burning150 acresNorth Dakota State Forest Servicenot named
7 April 2005Debris and open burning10 acresNorth Dakota State Forest Servicenot named
24 April 2016Railroad operations and maintenance5.0 acresNorth Dakota State Forest Service1604009

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Traill County

Storms near this place

21 since 1998

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Kelso in 21 storm reports between 1998 and 2025: 10 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, 2 tornado, 1 lightning. 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
July 2011Tornado (EF1)Kelso$20,000This tornado touched down briefly in a farmyard and tracked southward for about one-half mile before lifting. The tornado tore off part of the house eaves and numerous shingles. It also spread sections of a ground based solar collector around the farmyard. Only small branches were broken down in the poplar trees to the northeast of the farmyard. Peak winds were estimated at 95 mph.
August 2000LightningKelso$10,000Lightning struck a Chevrolet Blazer traveling northbound on Interstate 29, entering the vehicle through the radio antenna. The strike caused the vehicle to jump about a foot in the air. The tires blew out on one side of the vehicle, causing the driver to lose control. The strike killed the motor, cracked the front windshield, and left burn marks in different spots on the vehicle. The strike exited the vehicle through the four tires, and gouged holes in the interstate concrete. The ND DOT had to fill the one foot deep craters before traffic could resume normal operation. Neither of the two occupants were injured.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindKelso-NDAWN site reported a 78 mph wind gust 5 ENE Kelso. Mesonet station 324209 Hillsboro ND NDAWN.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindKelso-Mesonet station 324209 ndawn.
August 2019Funnel CloudKelso-A funnel cloud was observed between Hillsboro and Gardner.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindKelso-Vehicles were pulled over to the side of Interstate 29 due to very limited visibility in heavy rain and strong winds.
July 2017Thunderstorm WindKelso-The wind gust was measured by a NDAWN sensor.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindKelso-The top four feet of two forty foot evergreen trees were broken off and an older tree was blown down.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindKelso-The peak wind was measured by the NDAWN station seven miles southeast of Hillsboro.
June 2013HailKelso-Dime to quarter sized hail covered the sides of Interstate 29 north of Grandin.
May 2011Thunderstorm WindKelso-The wind gust was measured by the Hillsboro NDAWN mesonet sensor.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindKelso-Several large tree limbs were broken down in shelterbelts.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindKelso-A semi, towing two trailers at mile marker 97 on Interstate 29, had its second trailer blown on its side into the median by the strong straight line winds.
September 2005Flash FloodKelso-Over two inches of rain fell in an hour. Farm yards and fields were flooded.
July 2009HailKelso-no account filed
June 2008Thunderstorm WindKelso-no account filed
May 2007HailKelso-no account filed
September 2005HailKelso-no account filed
September 2005HailKelso-no account filed
July 2001HailKelso-no account filed
June 1998Tornado (F0)Kelso-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Traill 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
Alton2.4 miles11
Hillsboro5.8 miles12
Taft9.4 miles12
Preston10.1 miles10
Blanchard10.2 miles10
Greenfield10.5 miles10
Caledonia12.0 miles9
Cummings13.5 miles8

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1029725. 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.