BlockBefore

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.

Balko within Beaver County

Topographic sheets covering this place

4 surveys from 7 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

1 since 2020

Regional 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/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
7 March 2020Missing data/not specified/undetermined29,189 acresOklahoma Division of Forestry412 FIRE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Beaver County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 13 shown

Regional 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Unknown Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unknown Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unknown Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unknown Sand PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unknown Caliche PitLimestone, GeneralPast Producer
Unknown Caliche PitLimestone, GeneralPast Producer
Unknown Caliche PitLimestone, GeneralPast Producer
Unknown Caliche PitLimestone, GeneralPast Producer
Unknown Caliche PitLimestone, GeneralPast Producer
Unknown Caliche PitLimestone, GeneralPast Producer

Every working recorded in Beaver County

Storms near this place

44 since 1993

Regional 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
April 2001Tornado (F2)Balko$450,000An 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 2001Tornado (F1)Balko$250,000An 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 1993Thunderstorm WindBalko$50,000no account filed
June 2011Thunderstorm WindBalko$25,000The 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 2022HailBalko$10,000Ping pong ball to tennis ball size hail occurred.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindBalko$3,000The Beaver County Emergency Manager reported downed power lines due to the strong thunderstorm winds.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindBalko$1,000One power pole blown down by thunderstorm winds.
December 2022Tornado (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 2021Thunderstorm WindBalko-Flag pole at Balko school was violently bending. Report was received through social media.
May 2020HailBalko-One inch hail fell in Balko.
June 2020HailBalko-Hen egg to tea cup size hail fell 3 miles east-southeast of Balko.
June 2018Tornado (EF0)Balko-Trained spotter reported very brief touchdown with no damage.
May 2017Tornado (EF0)Balko-Report of tornado on the ground 1 mile south and 2 miles west of Balko. Brief touchdown. Less than a minute.
May 2017Thunderstorm WindBalko-Numerous downed powerlines due to straight line winds.
May 2017Thunderstorm WindBalko-Numerous downed powerlines due to straight line winds.
May 2017Thunderstorm WindBalko-Late report...18-wheeler truck blown over due to thunderstorm winds.
August 2014Thunderstorm WindBalko-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 2013HailBalko-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 2010Thunderstorm WindBalko-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 2009Thunderstorm WindBalko-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 2008Tornado (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 2008HailBalko-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 1997HailBalko-Near Bryans Corner.
May 2023HailBalko-no account filed
May 2023HailBalko-no account filed
May 2023HailBalko-no account filed
May 2023HailBalko-no account filed
June 2019Thunderstorm WindBalko-no account filed
May 2018HailBalko-no account filed
June 2017Thunderstorm WindBalko-no account filed
June 2008HailBalko-no account filed
August 2008HailBalko-no account filed
June 2008HailBalko-no account filed
May 2007HailBalko-no account filed
May 2004HailBalko-no account filed
September 2003HailBalko-no account filed
September 2003HailBalko-no account filed
May 2002HailBalko-no account filed
August 2002Thunderstorm WindBalko-no account filed
August 2002HailBalko-no account filed
June 2001HailBalko-no account filed
July 2000Thunderstorm WindBalko-no account filed
June 1998HailBalko-no account filed
May 1996HailBalko-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Beaver 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
Bryans Corner7.7 miles7
Elmwood8.6 miles7
Gray8.9 miles7
Boyd9.1 miles7
Beaver15.5 miles7
Floris16.6 miles7
Sophia16.8 miles8
Turpin19.3 miles7

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 BalkoAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q3476354The 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.