BlockBefore

Opal, South Dakota

7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1984. It stands in the North Meade unorganized territory. It lies in ZIP code area 57758. The Survey maps it on the Opal East quadrangle.

Opal within Meade County

On record in Opal

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 1 record

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

13 since 2001

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 13 fires within 5 miles of Opal between 2001 and 2007, burning about 161 acres in total. 9 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
Natural9
Equipment and vehicle use2
Other causes1
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
8 August 2001Natural5.0 acresOpal Volunteer Fire DepartmentTOM SMITH
9 July 2002Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSturgis Volunteer Fire DepartmentELK ROAD FIRE
9 July 2002Natural76 acresSturgis Volunteer Fire Department136 FIRE
30 July 2003Equipment and vehicle use1.0 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire Suppressionnot named
3 July 2002Other causes1.0 acresEnning Volunteer Fire DepartmentJOHNSTON
26 July 2002Naturalunder an acreOpal Volunteer Fire DepartmentWALTER FEES HAY
23 July 2002Naturalunder an acreOpal Volunteer Fire DepartmentREEVE HAY STACK
12 July 2006Natural2.0 acresSouth Dakota Wildland Fire Suppressionnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Meade County

Storms near this place

60 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Opal in 60 storm reports between 1997 and 2024: 33 hail, 25 thunderstorm wind, 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 2013Flash FloodOpal$10,000Two to three inches of rain fell in less than two hours, causing small streams to overflow their banks and overwhelming culverts. Water was reported over portions of Old Marcus Road and fences were destroyed.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindOpal$2,000The combination of large hail and strong wind gusts caused minor damage.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindOpal-Pea sized hail fell with the storm.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindOpal-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindOpal-The spotter estimated wind gusts at 60 mph.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindOpal-Wind gusts were estimated near 70 mph.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindOpal-The strong winds downed several trees.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindOpal-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
August 2017HailOpal-The ground was covered with hail.
August 2014Thunderstorm WindOpal-Wind gusts were estimated around 70 mph.
August 2013Thunderstorm WindOpal-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
May 2011Thunderstorm WindOpal-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindOpal-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindOpal-Wind gusts estimated at 60 mph.
May 2009Thunderstorm WindOpal-None.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindOpal-None.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindOpal-Three to four inch tree branches were blown down.
June 2000HailOpal-3 Windows broken
July 2024Thunderstorm WindOpal-no account filed
June 2024Thunderstorm WindOpal-no account filed
June 2024Thunderstorm WindOpal-no account filed
June 2024HailOpal-no account filed
July 2023HailOpal-no account filed
June 2023HailOpal-no account filed
June 2021HailOpal-no account filed
July 2020Thunderstorm WindOpal-no account filed
June 2018HailOpal-no account filed
June 2018HailOpal-no account filed
June 2018HailOpal-no account filed
June 2018HailOpal-no account filed
June 2018HailOpal-no account filed
June 2018HailOpal-no account filed
August 2017HailOpal-no account filed
July 2016HailOpal-no account filed
August 2014HailOpal-no account filed
June 2013HailOpal-no account filed
July 2011HailOpal-no account filed
May 2011HailOpal-no account filed
May 2011HailOpal-no account filed
May 2011HailOpal-no account filed
May 2009Thunderstorm WindOpal-no account filed
June 2009HailOpal-no account filed
July 2009HailOpal-no account filed
July 2009HailOpal-no account filed
April 2008HailOpal-no account filed
June 2008HailOpal-no account filed
June 2008HailOpal-no account filed
June 2008HailOpal-no account filed
June 2008HailOpal-no account filed
August 2008Thunderstorm WindOpal-no account filed
August 2008HailOpal-no account filed
August 2008Thunderstorm WindOpal-no account filed
June 2007HailOpal-no account filed
August 2005Thunderstorm WindOpal-no account filed
August 2005HailOpal-no account filed
July 2005HailOpal-no account filed
July 2005HailOpal-no account filed
July 2005Thunderstorm WindOpal-no account filed
July 2005Thunderstorm WindOpal-no account filed
June 1997Flash FloodOpal-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Meade 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
Fox Ridge8.1 miles6
Avance (historical)10.9 miles7
Maurine11.8 miles7
Redowl14.4 miles7
Stoneville15.4 miles7
Cedar Canyon15.6 miles8
Marcus18.7 miles7
White Owl20.7 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 OpalAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q23709407The 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 1256899. 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.