BlockBefore

Alva, Wyoming

12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1901 and the latest in 1984. It stands in the Hulett census division. It lies in ZIP code area 82711. It stands on Lame Jones Creek. The Survey maps it on the Alva quadrangle. It stands 3,993 feet above sea level.

Alva within Crook County

Topographic sheets covering this place

8 surveys from 12 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

34 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 34 fires within 5 miles of Alva between 1992 and 2019, burning about 2,172 acres in total. 28 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
Natural28
Missing data/not specified/undetermined4
Debris and open burning1
Recreation and ceremony1

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
18 September 2019Naturalunder an acreBlack Hills National ForestWOOD
13 September 2006Natural16 acresBlack Hills National ForestEAST CREEK
12 September 2006Naturalunder an acreBlack Hills National ForestLUCKY
1 September 2000Naturalunder an acreBlack Hills National Forest830
8 August 2011Natural1.0 acresBlack Hills National ForestWHITE SLIDE
26 August 2016Naturalunder an acreBlack Hills National ForestSNYDER
20 August 2003Natural3.0 acresNew Castle Field OfficePINNACLE
20 August 1996Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresWyoming State Forestrynot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Crook County

Mines and quarries near this place

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Alva: 1 producer, 1 unknown. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Gypsum-Anhydrite. 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
Driskell PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
HulettGypsum-AnhydriteUnknown

Every working recorded in Crook County

Storms near this place

27 since 2000

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Alva in 27 storm reports between 2000 and 2024: 19 hail, 6 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado. The reports record 2 injuries. 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
July 2009Tornado (EF2)Alva2 hurt, $300,000A large tornado touched down west of Cook Lake and tracked east-southeastward across the Bear Lodge Mountains, dissipating west of Wyoming Highway 111. The tornado downed about 4000 acres of Ponderosa pine trees, destroyed two metal shop buildings and a large barn at a ranch, and severely damaged a house and mobile home. Two people in the residences received very minor injuries.
July 2013Thunderstorm WindAlva$10,000The combination of hail and wind caused minor damage at Cook Lake.
August 2024Tornado (EF1)Alva-A tornado developed over the Bear Lodge Mountains, about 8 miles south of Alva, and tracked east-southeast for about two and a half miles. Numerous pine trees were either uprooted or snapped in half along its path. The estimated damage width was over a quarter mile in some areas, although some of the damage on the southern edge of the tornado was more consistent with straight line winds. No damage to property was noted. The tornado was on the ground for approximately 10 minutes with a speed of about 15 to 20 mph. The tornado was rated as an EF-1 with estimated winds up to 110 mph.
May 2023HailAlva-A few stones near golf ball size.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindAlva-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
August 2010Thunderstorm WindAlva-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
July 2000Thunderstorm WindAlva-Several eight inch trees limbs were broken off trees.
May 2023HailAlva-no account filed
July 2020HailAlva-no account filed
May 2018HailAlva-no account filed
June 2015HailAlva-no account filed
July 2013HailAlva-no account filed
July 2013HailAlva-no account filed
July 2013HailAlva-no account filed
June 2012HailAlva-no account filed
July 2011Thunderstorm WindAlva-no account filed
May 2010HailAlva-no account filed
August 2010HailAlva-no account filed
August 2010HailAlva-no account filed
July 2009HailAlva-no account filed
July 2009HailAlva-no account filed
August 2008HailAlva-no account filed
August 2008HailAlva-no account filed
August 2006HailAlva-no account filed
July 2002HailAlva-no account filed
July 2002Thunderstorm WindAlva-no account filed
July 2000HailAlva-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Crook 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
Hulett8.5 miles12
Mona8.6 miles14
Seely12.3 miles12
Farrall12.4 miles12
Aladdin14.2 miles15
Devils Tower15.4 miles13
Carlile Junction18.6 miles13
Colony19.4 miles15

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 AlvaAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q4737610The 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 1597735. 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.