Balko, Oklahoma
7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1986. It stands in the South Beaver census division. It lies in ZIP code area 73931. The Survey maps it on the Balko quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 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.
- 1954 USGS Perryton quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Perryton quadrangle1:250000
- 1973 USGS Balko quadrangle1:24000
- 1986 USGS Beaver quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
1 since 2020Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1 fire within 5 miles of Balko in 2020, burning about 29,189 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 March 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 29,189 acres | Oklahoma Division of Forestry | 412 FIRE |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 13 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 13 workings within 5 miles of Balko: 13 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Limestone, General, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Caliche Pit | Limestone, General | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Caliche Pit | Limestone, General | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Caliche Pit | Limestone, General | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Caliche Pit | Limestone, General | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Caliche Pit | Limestone, General | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Caliche Pit | Limestone, General | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
44 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Balko in 44 storm reports between 1993 and 2023: 23 hail, 15 thunderstorm wind, 6 tornado. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2001 | Tornado (F2) | Balko | $450,000 | An official storm damage survey was made and the tornado path length and width were estimated. Extensive damage to two homes...several barns...farm equipment...power poles...trees and a windmill. |
| April 2001 | Tornado (F1) | Balko | $250,000 | An official storm damage survey was made and the tornado path length and width were estimated. The tornado destroyed at least two barns...some farm equipment...uprooted large trees and snapped power poles. |
| August 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Balko | $50,000 | no account filed |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Balko | $25,000 | The Beaver County Emergency Mangers Office reported that twenty-five poles were blown down by thunderstorm wind gusts for at least eight miles along U.S. Highway 412. The power poles were snapped off about six to eight feet up. There were no reports of injuries. |
| December 2022 | Hail | Balko | $10,000 | Ping pong ball to tennis ball size hail occurred. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Balko | $3,000 | The Beaver County Emergency Manager reported downed power lines due to the strong thunderstorm winds. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Balko | $1,000 | One power pole blown down by thunderstorm winds. |
| December 2022 | Tornado (EFU) | Balko | - | This tornado track was estimated based on photos and eyewitness accounts. The tornado was moved northeast and was on the ground for just under 2 minutes. No damage was found, however the tornado didn't encounter any damage indicators along the path as|it remained in open grasslands. Given the lack of damage indicators, an unknown rating has been assigned. |
| October 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Balko | - | Flag pole at Balko school was violently bending. Report was received through social media. |
| May 2020 | Hail | Balko | - | One inch hail fell in Balko. |
| June 2020 | Hail | Balko | - | Hen egg to tea cup size hail fell 3 miles east-southeast of Balko. |
| June 2018 | Tornado (EF0) | Balko | - | Trained spotter reported very brief touchdown with no damage. |
| May 2017 | Tornado (EF0) | Balko | - | Report of tornado on the ground 1 mile south and 2 miles west of Balko. Brief touchdown. Less than a minute. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Balko | - | Numerous downed powerlines due to straight line winds. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Balko | - | Numerous downed powerlines due to straight line winds. |
| May 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Balko | - | Late report...18-wheeler truck blown over due to thunderstorm winds. |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Balko | - | A discrete supercell entered southern Beaver County during the evening hours of the 27th. While near the town of Elmwood (Beaver County), the thunderstorm produced a downburst which caused 13 power pole to either be blown down or lean along State Highway 412 (Beaver County). After producing this downburst, no further severe weather was reported. |
| June 2013 | Hail | Balko | - | A discrete thunderstorm developed along a slow moving cold front over southern Kansas. As the thunderstorm moved to the south-southeast into the Oklahoma Panhandle the thunderstorm began to weaken. After moving over the city of Forgan (Beaver County), the thunderstorm began strengthening as it approached the city of Beaver (Beaver County). The Beaver County Emergency Manager reported golfball size hail (1.75 inches) 13 miles south-southwest of Beaver (Beaver County). The thunderstorm continued moving to the south-southeast across the county. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Balko | - | The Emergency Manager of Beaver County in the eastern Oklahoma Panhandle estimated sixty-one knot thunderstorm wind gusts. No damage or injuries were reported. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Balko | - | A trained spotter estimated thunderstorm wind gusts of sixty-one knots which blew down tree branches. Some of these tree branches were reported to be large. |
| June 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Balko | - | There were multiple brief touchdowns of circulation reported. The tornado remained over open country. The tornado path length and path width were estimated. No damage or injuries were reported. |
| August 2008 | Hail | Balko | - | The hail reportedly covered the ground some four to six inches deep on the low end and about eight to twelve inches deep on the high end. The Beaver County Emergency Manager reported that the hail fell about one to two miles east of U.S. Highway 412 and that vehicles were high centering on the ice. |
| May 1997 | Hail | Balko | - | Near Bryans Corner. |
| May 2023 | Hail | Balko | - | no account filed |
| May 2023 | Hail | Balko | - | no account filed |
| May 2023 | Hail | Balko | - | no account filed |
| May 2023 | Hail | Balko | - | no account filed |
| June 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Balko | - | no account filed |
| May 2018 | Hail | Balko | - | no account filed |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Balko | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Balko | - | no account filed |
| August 2008 | Hail | Balko | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Balko | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Balko | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Balko | - | no account filed |
| September 2003 | Hail | Balko | - | no account filed |
| September 2003 | Hail | Balko | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Balko | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Balko | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Balko | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Balko | - | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Balko | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Hail | Balko | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Balko | - | 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.
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 Balko | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q3476354 | 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 1089822. 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.



