Sterling, North Dakota
7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1951 and the latest in 1979. It stands in Sterling Township. It lies in ZIP code area 58572. The Survey maps it on the Sterling quadrangle. It stands 1,932 feet above sea level.
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 7 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.
- 1951 USGS McKenzie quadrangle1:62500
- 1954 USGS Bismarck quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Bismarck quadrangle1:250000
- 1975 USGS Sterling quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1979 USGS Bismarck quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
4 since 2001Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 4 fires within 5 miles of Sterling between 2001 and 2015, burning about 188 acres in total. 1 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 |
|---|---|
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
| Natural | 1 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 September 2002 | Equipment and vehicle use | 13 acres | Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge | STERLING 5 |
| 4 July 2002 | Natural | 1.0 acres | Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge | STERLING 3 |
| 4 October 2001 | Equipment and vehicle use | 64 acres | Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge | STERLING 1 |
| 11 October 2015 | Debris and open burning | 110 acres | Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge | MONROE |
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 Sterling: 1 producer. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams West Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
23 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Sterling in 23 storm reports between 1995 and 2024: 13 thunderstorm wind, 8 hail, 1 tornado, 1 lightning. The reports record 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2024 | Lightning | Sterling | 3 hurt, $1,000 | A NWS meteorologist interviewed one of the victims. Three teenage males were goose hunting when thunderstorms approached their area. They packed up their equipment and were walking to their pickup truck close by when all three were struck by lighting. The victims were knocked down, and when they were able to get up they continued their return to the pickup truck and drove to a hospital emergency room in Bismarck. One victim suffered a small brain bleed and reduced hearing. The second victim suffered a large cut in his hand along with a flash burn to his eyes. The third victim suffered tingling sensations in his right foot along with a headache. All the victims recovered from their injuries. The goose blinds they were carrying were severely damaged in the incident. |
| August 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | $300,000 | Straight line winds caused significant damage in and to the south of Sterling. On the south side of Sterling, a large grain bin in an elevator complex was dislodged and blew to the east-southeast. South of this location, a large sunflower field was significantly damaged with many parts of the field flattened. Along Highway 83, fifteen power poles were broken or significantly damaged on both sides of the highway. |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | $100,000 | Several semi-trailers were turned over by thunderstorm wind gusts near Sterling. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | $40,000 | The strong winds resulted in extensive tree damage throughout the town of Sterling. |
| August 2019 | Hail | Sterling | $30,000 | Large trees were damaged and power lines were down. |
| September 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | $10,000 | Multiple trees were damaged in the city of Sterling. |
| September 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | The public estimated thunderstorm wind gusts of 60 mph. |
| August 2012 | Hail | Sterling | - | No damage was reported with the large hail. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | The strong winds lasted a few minutes. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Sterling | - | Penny to quarter size hail was reported in Sterling. |
| June 2007 | Tornado (EF0) | Sterling | - | No damage reported in real time or in follow up calls to emergency management. |
| June 2007 | Hail | Sterling | - | No damage was reported. |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| September 2016 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| August 2006 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| August 1995 | Hail | Sterling | - | 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.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| McKenzie | 6.5 miles | 7 | |
| Driscoll | 8.2 miles | 7 | |
| Brittin | 9.1 miles | 5 | |
| Moffit | 9.4 miles | 5 | |
| Menoken | 12.7 miles | 10 | |
| Apple Valley | 16.2 miles | 10 | |
| Pierce | 21.3 miles | 11 | |
| Hillcrest Acres | 21.8 miles | 11 |
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 Sterling | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q14708390 | 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 1032304. 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.




