BlockMurphy, Nebraska
12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1898 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Precinct 6. It lies in ZIP code area 68865. The Survey maps it on the Murphy quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
6 surveys from 12 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.
- 1898 USGS Grand Island quadrangle1:125000, 4 printings
- 1955 USGS Grand Island quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Grand Island quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Grand Island quadrangle1:250000
- 1969 USGS Murphy quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Grand Island quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
54 since 2007Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 54 fires within 5 miles of Murphy between 2007 and 2020, burning about 282 acres in total. 2 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 | 16 |
| Debris and open burning | 16 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 11 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 5 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 September 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 26 August 2011 | Smoking | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 17 July 2012 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 8 June 2016 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 2.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 7 June 2016 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 2.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 23 June 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 23 June 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 12 June 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
16 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Murphy in 16 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 7 hail, 4 tornado, 2 heavy rain, 2 thunderstorm wind. 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murphy | $400,000 | At least 10 power poles were downed along Highway 24. Grain gins south of the highway were destroyed and at least 4 pivots were overturned. |
| June 2009 | Tornado (EF2) | Murphy | $250,000 | A large tornado touched down west of Aurora on Highway 34, then traveled east approximately 5 miles before lifting. In its path, it destroyed a house and several outbuildings, power poles, trees, and overturned about a dozen railcars. The occupants were able to seek shelter before the tornado struck. Numerous storm chasers documented this storm. |
| May 2018 | Tornado (EF0) | Murphy | $50,000 | A nearly stationary landspout tornado occurred northwest of Aurora. This EF-0 tornado had a maximum wind speed estimated to be 70 MPH, which was based upon damage to a center irrigation pivot which was overturned. Several people witnessed this tornado. |
| May 2019 | Hail | Murphy | $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Murphy | $20,000 | Significant crop damage in a path approximately 3 miles wide. |
| May 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Murphy | $20,000 | This tornado was captured on a Hamilton County deputies car video system as it occurred northwest of Aurora. This weak tornado did damage a few power lines and trees along its path. |
| May 2021 | Flash Flood | Murphy | - | Radar estimated that 4 to 6 inches fell in and around the city of Aurora, with a measurement of 4.23 inches from the Cooperative Observer on the east-southeast side of town. This heavy rain falling in a short amount of time resulted in flash flooding in Aurora. Emergency management reported that some vehicles were flooded out due to high water levels and some homes had water in the basement. There was a report of a vehicle needing assistance due to the underpass being flooded. Rural roads in the area were likely affected as well. |
| August 2017 | Heavy Rain | Murphy | - | A 24-hour precipitation amount of 6.70 inches was recorded in Murphy. |
| April 2014 | Heavy Rain | Murphy | - | A 24 hour rainfall total of 3.13 inches occurred about 2 miles east southeast of Murphy or 4 miles west of Aurora. This report was from an NERAIN observer. |
| May 1994 | Tornado (F0) | Murphy | - | A small tornado briefly touched down near Murphy. |
| April 2025 | Hail | Murphy | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Hail | Murphy | - | no account filed |
| August 2020 | Hail | Murphy | - | no account filed |
| March 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Murphy | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Murphy | - | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Murphy | - | 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.
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 835387. 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.