BlockWillis, Nebraska
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1986. It stands in St. Johns precinct. It lies in ZIP code area 68743. It stands on Eagle Creek. The Survey maps it on the Waterbury quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 9 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.
- 1955 USGS Sioux City quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1958 USGS Sioux City quadrangle1:250000
- 1959 USGS Sioux City quadrangle1:250000
- 1967 USGS Waterbury quadrangle1:24000
- 1986 USGS Sioux City South quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
16 since 2008Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 16 fires within 5 miles of Willis between 2008 and 2020, burning about 174 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 burning | 8 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July 2008 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 21 June 2014 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 6 May 2017 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 30 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 5 May 2014 | Equipment and vehicle use | 20 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 9 April 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 7 April 2018 | Debris and open burning | 9.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 6 April 2019 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
| 4 April 2008 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 10 acres | Nebraska Forest Service | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
26 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Willis in 26 storm reports between 1996 and 2024: 13 flood, 10 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Willis | $300,000 | no account filed |
| October 2019 | Flood | Willis | $5,000 | A continuation from September, the Missouri River at Ponca (gage site MRPN1) started the month at 0.55 feet above flood stage on October 1, and fell below flood stage on October 4. Property damage costs are rough estimates. |
| September 2019 | Flood | Willis | $5,000 | Runoff from heavy rainfall (4.59 inches at Hurley, 4.24 inches at Menno, and 8.14 inches at Clayton) brought the Missouri River at Ponca (gage site MRPN1) to a crest 3.06 feet above flood stage on September 15. The river remained in minor flood stage at the end of the month. |
| June 2024 | Flood | Willis | - | The Missouri River near Ponca rose above flood stage the morning of June 24th, cresting around 0.93 feet above flood stage (20.93 feet) on June 26th. The river then fell below flood stage on the morning of June 27th. For a more comprehensive description of flood damage, please see other entries for Dakota County. |
| June 2024 | Flood | Willis | - | The Missouri River at Sioux City rose above flood stage the evening of June 24th, cresting around 2.23 feet above flood stage (32.23 feet) on June 25th. The river then fell below flood stage on the morning of June 27th. For a more comprehensive description of flood damage, please see other entries for Dakota County. |
| June 2020 | Hail | Willis | - | Hail was found and measured three hours after occurrence. |
| June 2020 | Hail | Willis | - | The hail was accompanied by winds strong enough to break 2 inch diameter branches from trees. |
| June 2019 | Flood | Willis | - | A continuation of flooding from May, the Missouri River near Ponca (gage site MRPN1) crested 2.47 feet above flood stage on June 1. High water closed numerous recreational boat ramps. |
| June 2019 | Flood | Willis | - | A continuation of flooding from May, the Missouri River at Sioux City (gage site SSCN1) crested 0.27 feet above flood stage on June 1. Some minor flooding of Sioux City parks near the river occurred, along with water briefly onto portions of Hamilton Boulevard near Interstate 29. |
| May 2019 | Flood | Willis | - | Increased releases from upstream Gavins Point Dam along with runoff from heavy rainfall over the preceding week produced moderate flooding on the Missouri River near Ponca (gage site MRPN1). Agricultural areas near the river were inundated as the river rose to 2.46 feet above flood stage on May 31. The river remained in moderate flood stage at the end of the month. |
| May 2019 | Flood | Willis | - | Increased releases from upstream Gavins Point Dam along with runoff from heavy rainfall over the preceding week produced minor flooding on the Missouri River at Sioux City (gage site SSCN1). Hamilton Boulevard and a few park areas along the river near Interstate 29 were flooded as the river rose to 0.22 feet above flood stage on May 31. The river remained in minor flood stage at the end of the month. |
| June 2014 | Flood | Willis | - | Persistent moderate to heavy rain caused flooding of some fields and other lowlands, including several roads. This flooding lasted well into the daytime hours after the rain subsided. |
| June 2014 | Flood | Willis | - | Persistent moderate to heavy rain caused flooding of some fields and other lowlands, including several roads. This flooding lasted into the morning hours of June 17th. |
| October 2013 | Tornado (EF0) | Willis | - | A tornado developed in northern Dakota County and caused no reported damage before crossing the Missouri River into Union County of South Dakota. |
| May 2011 | Flood | Willis | - | Flooding along the Missouri River developed and then increased in late May as runoff from excessive upstream snowmelt and rain reached the area. Lowlands flooded included some roads and parkland in South Sioux City. The river reached its highest May levels at the end of the month. |
| July 2011 | Flood | Willis | - | Flooding from upstream spring snowmelt and subsequent heavy rain continued at major levels through July. Lowlands along the river including numerous roads, parks, recreational areas and homes remained flooded. Many residents earlier evacuated from their homes and at least 100 businesses could not return. Thousands of acres of usually dry land, including several farms, remained flooded. The river began a very slow general fall late in the month. The highest stage at South Sioux City was 5.3 feet above flood stage on July 21st. This was just above the highest level recorded in June. |
| August 2011 | Hail | Willis | - | Large hail caused widespread damage to corn and soybean crops. The hail accumulated up to 6 inches and drifted higher, requiring snow plows to remove the hail from roads. The hail also broke windows and dented vehicles. The amount of crop and property damage was not known. |
| August 2011 | Flood | Willis | - | Flooding from upstream spring snowmelt and subsequent heavy rain continued at moderate to major levels at the start of August. Lowlands along the river including numerous roads, parks, recreational areas and homes remained flooded. Many residents earlier evacuated from their homes and at least 100 businesses could not return before late in the month. Thousands of acres of usually dry land, including several farms, remained flooded. The river fell slowly during the month. The highest stage at South Sioux City was 4.3 feet above flood stage on August 1st. The river there fell below flood stage on August 25th. |
| June 2002 | Flash Flood | Willis | - | Heavy rain caused flooding of rural roads and lowlands. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Willis | - | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Willis | - | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Willis | - | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Hail | Willis | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Willis | - | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Hail | Willis | - | no account filed |
| September 1997 | Hail | Willis | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goodwin | 2.0 miles | 9 | |
| Jackson | 3.9 miles | 11 | |
| Hubbard | 6.5 miles | 11 | |
| Millis Beach | 10.0 miles | 13 | |
| North Shore | 10.2 miles | 13 | |
| Freeway Homes | 10.5 miles | 13 | |
| Nacora | 10.9 miles | 10 | |
| South Sioux City | 11.4 miles | 13 |
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 Willis | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q60764059 | 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 835479. 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.