BlockBefore

Bernice, Oklahoma

14 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1907 and the latest in 1986. It stands in the Grove census division. It lies in ZIP code area 74331. The Survey maps it on the Bernice quadrangle. 422 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 766 feet above sea level.

Bernice within Delaware County

Population over time

2 figures

Bernice fell from 562 to 422 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
2010562
2020422-140 (-25%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

7 surveys from 14 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

5 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 5 fires within 5 miles of Bernice between 1992 and 2012, burning about 15 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 2 were 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
Arson/incendiarism2
Missing data/not specified/undetermined1
Debris and open burning1
Natural1

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
21 July 2012Arson/incendiarism10 acresOklahoma Division of Forestry30315
5 March 2010Natural1.7 acresMiami AgencyDEER VALLEY
14 March 1992Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresOklahoma Division of Forestrynot named
28 February 2000Arson/incendiarismunder an acreOklahoma Division of Forestrynot named
20 February 2012Debris and open burning1.0 acresOklahoma Division of Forestry30067

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Delaware County

Mines and quarries near this place

4 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Bernice: 4 past producers. None of them still produces. 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Unknown Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unknown Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unknown Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unknown Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Delaware County

Storms near this place

49 since 1993

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bernice in 49 storm reports between 1993 and 2024: 27 thunderstorm wind, 16 hail, 4 tornado, 2 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
May 2019Thunderstorm WindBernice$250,000Strong thunderstorm wind destroyed boat docks and sunk boats at Monkey Island.
May 2011Tornado (EF1)Bernice$250,000A tornado severely damaged a marina, damaged a number of boats, damaged a metal building, rolled trailers, and uprooted a number of trees. Maximum estimated wind in the tornado based on this damage was about 100 mph.
April 2019Tornado (EF1)Bernice$75,000This is the first segment of a two-segment tornado. In Delaware County, this large tornado developed south of the E 260 Road and west of the S 4520 Road. It moved northeast snapping and uprooting numerous trees, damaging a home, damaging barns and outbuildings, and snapping power poles. The tornado was observed by multiple people. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in this segment of the tornado was 90 to 100 mph. The tornado continued into Ottawa County.
April 2015Tornado (EF1)Bernice$75,000This is the third of three segments of this tornado. The tornado crossed into Delaware County near the S 520 Road. Trees were snapped or uprooted, barns and outbuildings were damaged, and homes were damaged as it approached the north end of Grand Lake from the west-northwest. It destroyed a private boat dock on the lake then moved through a community of houses to the east of the lake, resulting in damage to the roofs of homes as well as tree damage. The tornado dissipated to the east of this community in open country. Based on this damage, estimated maximum wind in this segment of the tornado was 95 to 105 mph.
May 2015Tornado (EF1)Bernice$20,000This is the first segment of a two segment tornado. In Delaware County, this tornado damaged two mobile homes, snapped or uprooted numerous trees, and blew down power poles. Based on this damage, maximum estimated wind in this segment of the tornado was 95 to 105 mph.
December 1999HailBernice$20,000Golfball size hail fell on Monkey Island.
November 1999Thunderstorm WindBernice$20,000In Bernice, winds blew the roof off a mobile home, the roof from a shed, shingles from a church, and the wind blew down two power poles. Numerous large tree limbs were blown down.
April 2017Thunderstorm WindBernice$15,000Strong thunderstorm wind blew down trees, snapped large tree limbs, and blew down power lines. Several travel trailers were blown over and carports were damaged by the wind.
April 2019HailBernice$10,000no account filed
November 1998Thunderstorm WindBernice$1,600A large tree was blown down by 60 mph winds. Power poles were also blown down west of Bernice.
April 2001Thunderstorm WindBernice$100A spotter reported 65 mile an hour winds. These winds blew down trees.
April 2001Thunderstorm WindBernice$100Thunderstorm winds blew a large tree down onto Highway 85A in downtown Bernice.
December 1999Thunderstorm WindBernice$100One tree blown down on Monkey Island.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindBernice$100no account filed
October 2024Thunderstorm WindBernice-Strong thunderstorm wind uprooted a tree.
April 2019Flash FloodBernice-Portions of Highway 85 were closed due to high water.
May 2015Flash FloodBernice-Several roads were flooded in and around Bernice.
July 2012Thunderstorm WindBernice-Strong thunderstorm wind blew down large tree limbs.
October 2007Thunderstorm WindBernice-Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down trees.
April 2006Thunderstorm WindBernice-Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour blew down trees.
July 2004Thunderstorm WindBernice-Thunderstorm winds estimated at 60 miles an hour blew down large tree limbs.
September 2001Thunderstorm WindBernice-Thunderstorm winds were estimated at 60 miles an hour on Monkey Island.
April 1999HailBernice-There was a report of dime-sized hail 4 miles west of Bernice at 610 PM CDT, followed by a report of nickel-sized hail in downtown Bernice at 620 PM CDT.
March 2011HailBernice-no account filed
March 2006HailBernice-no account filed
April 2006HailBernice-no account filed
April 2005HailBernice-no account filed
May 2003HailBernice-no account filed
September 2001Thunderstorm WindBernice-no account filed
May 2000Thunderstorm WindBernice-no account filed
May 1999HailBernice-no account filed
July 1999HailBernice-no account filed
April 1999HailBernice-no account filed
April 1999Thunderstorm WindBernice-no account filed
December 1999HailBernice-no account filed
May 1998Thunderstorm WindBernice-no account filed
July 1997Thunderstorm WindBernice-no account filed
July 1997Thunderstorm WindBernice-no account filed
March 1997HailBernice-no account filed
March 1997Thunderstorm WindBernice-no account filed
March 1997Thunderstorm WindBernice-no account filed
December 1997Thunderstorm WindBernice-no account filed
December 1997HailBernice-no account filed
April 1995HailBernice-no account filed
April 1995HailBernice-no account filed
May 1995Thunderstorm WindBernice-no account filed
June 1995Thunderstorm WindBernice-no account filed
July 1994Thunderstorm WindBernice-no account filed
May 1993Thunderstorm WindBernice-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Delaware 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
Cleora3.8 miles14
Copeland5.5 miles14
Dennis5.6 miles14
Grove8.0 miles14
Zena8.9 miles19
Cayuga12.7 miles14
Chloeta13.6 miles19
Dodge14.2 miles14

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 BerniceAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2540303The 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 1090016. 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.