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Ben Bolt, Texas

7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1917 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Alice census division. It lies in ZIP code area 78342. The Survey maps it on the Alice South quadrangle. 1,662 people lived here at the 2020 count.

Ben Bolt within Jim Wells 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

42 since 2008

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 42 fires within 5 miles of Ben Bolt between 2008 and 2016, burning about 3,600 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 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/undetermined33
Debris and open burning7
Arson/incendiarism1
Smoking1

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
26 September 2009Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreTexas A & M Forest ServiceS.281 SOUTH OF C.R. 473
15 September 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined125 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceFM 1352 AND FM 2508
26 July 2011Debris and open burning50 acresTexas A & M Forest Service1158 CR 440
26 June 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceCR.481 &FM.2508
9 May 2009Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreTexas A & M Forest ServiceFM.625&HWY.281
8 May 2009Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreTexas A & M Forest Service281 S./FM.625
7 May 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceFM.625 &N.
2 May 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest Service5000 S.US.HWY.281

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Jim Wells County

Storms near this place

30 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Ben Bolt in 30 storm reports between 1997 and 2026: 12 thunderstorm wind, 9 hail, 4 flash flood, 4 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
March 2016Thunderstorm WindBen Bolt$150,000NWS storm survey estimated 70 mph winds occurred in Ben Bolt. A carport was pulled from the ground and destroyed. A large strong fence was destroyed. Large trees were blown down.
May 2009Tornado (EF1)Ben Bolt$50,000NWS Storm Survey revealed an EF-1 tornado touched down near the community of Green Acres, at the intersection of CR 480 and CR 481. The tornado was 50 yards wide and traveled roughly two tenths of a mile before lifting up. One mobile home trailer was completely destoyed while a roof was removed from another. Numerous large tree branches were broken along along the path. A couple of trees were uprooted and one tree trunk was completely snapped. Winds were estimated at 105 mph.
September 2011Thunderstorm WindBen Bolt$30,000A NWS survey concluded that a microburst occurred 2 miles northeast of Ben Bolt on County Road 484. Maximum winds were estimated around 70 mph. A large roof covering was blown off a mobile home with the debris distributed downwind in a divergent pattern about 100 yards. The debris severed a power pole, penetrated the roof of a neighboring home, and split a large tree.
June 2015Tornado (EF0)Ben Bolt$10,000Tornado briefly touched down near County Road 470. The tornado caused tree damage and moved a large propane tank from one property to another.
February 2026Thunderstorm WindBen Bolt-Reports of shingle/roof damage and porch skirting damage around FM 2295 in Jim Wells County. Exact location not known. Time estimated by radar.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindBen Bolt-Public estimated 55 mph. Storm survey found an estimated 60 mph. Small limbs broken (up to 1 inch diameter) off hardwood trees.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindBen Bolt-Small hardwood tree limbs broken (up to 1 inch diameter).
May 2025Thunderstorm WindBen Bolt-Large hardwood tree branches broken (1-3 inch diameter).
May 2025HailBen Bolt-Observed nickel-sized hail.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindBen Bolt-Small hardwood tree limbs broken (up to 1 inch diameter).
May 2025Thunderstorm WindBen Bolt-Small hardwood tree limbs broken (up to 1 inch diameter).
May 2025Thunderstorm WindBen Bolt-Large trees snapped, playground equipment broken, roof blown off into nearby field.
May 2025Thunderstorm WindBen Bolt-Small hardwood tree limbs broken (up to 1 inch diameter).
April 2022Thunderstorm WindBen Bolt-A private weather station measured measured a wind gust to 59 mph near Ben Bolt.
June 2013HailBen Bolt-Public reported penny sized hail south of Alice.
July 2010Funnel CloudBen Bolt-Storm spotter reported a funnel cloud just north of Ben Bolt.
August 2008Flash FloodBen Bolt-The heavy rainfall, poor drainage area, and a dry creek led to flash flooding and significant street flooding in and around the Green Acres and Ben Bolt areas.
October 2006Flash FloodBen Bolt-Several county and farm to market roads closed due to flooding, including CR 428, CR 425, CR 418, FM 1538 and FM 2295. High water also reported on FM 625 near U.S. 281.|
November 2004HailBen Bolt-County sheriff deputy reported broken windshield by hail.
September 2002Tornado (F0)Ben Bolt-17 miles north of Falfurrias. Tornado was associated with Tropical Depression Fay. No damage reported.
September 2002Tornado (F0)Ben Bolt-Tornado was associated with Tropical Depression Fay. No damage reported.
May 2006HailBen Bolt-no account filed
April 2004HailBen Bolt-no account filed
February 2003HailBen Bolt-no account filed
May 2002HailBen Bolt-no account filed
May 2001HailBen Bolt-no account filed
June 2001Thunderstorm WindBen Bolt-no account filed
June 1998HailBen Bolt-no account filed
April 1997Flash FloodBen Bolt-no account filed
April 1997Flash FloodBen Bolt-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Jim Wells 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
Torian4.6 miles7
English Acres Colonia5.0 miles7
Coyote Acres5.3 miles7
Meadow Ridge Colonia5.7 miles7
Alice Acres Colonia5.7 miles7
Goldapp Colonia5.8 miles7
Alice Acres5.9 miles7
Hawks Addition Colonia6.1 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 Ben BoltAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q4885317The 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 1330398. 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.