Storm Lake, IA GIS Map
Storm Lake is a city in Buena Vista County, Iowa, with a population of about 10,600. The map below shows its location, boundary and surrounding roads, with federal GIS layers you can turn on for the area.
- County
- Buena Vista County
- Population
- 10,600
- Elevation
- 1,421 ft
- Coordinates
- 42.6411, -95.2097
- ZIP code
- 50588
- Land area
- 5.4 sq mi
- Time zone
- America/Chicago
About Storm Lake, IA
Storm Lake is a city in and the county seat of Buena Vista County, Iowa, United States. The population was 11,269 in the 2020 census, an increase from 10,076 in the 2000 census. It has one of the only cities in Iowa with a non-white majority population.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Cities Near Storm Lake
GIS Data for Storm Lake, IA
The Storm Lake map loads live federal GIS layers in your browser, so you can check flood zones, terrain, land cover and district boundaries for any address in Storm Lake without a separate GIS login. Everything below is drawn from public U.S. government data.
Layers you can turn on
FEMA flood zones
National Flood Hazard Layer — flood insurance rate map zones.
Elevation contours and hillshade
USGS 3DEP terrain, so you can read slope and relief.
Land cover
NLCD land cover classes — forest, developed, wetland, water.
School districts
Census TIGER unified and elementary school district boundaries.
ZIP code and county boundaries
Census TIGER ZCTA and county boundary lines.
Map tools
Measure distance and area
Draw a line or polygon to get length in miles or area in acres.
Sketch and annotate
Add points, lines and shapes on top of the map.
Inspect any point
Click the map to read coordinates, elevation and the layers under your cursor.
Download the map
Save the current view as a PNG image.
Storm Lake Demographics
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Population
11,428
Households
3,975
Median household income
$62,765
Median age
30.9 years
Median home value
$172,200
Median gross rent
$898/mo
Owner-occupied homes
66.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher
18.9%
Below poverty level
7%
Land area
5.4 sq mi
Population density
2,106 / sq mi
County
ZIP codes in Storm Lake
Storm Lake Population Growth
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census and Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2024: April 2020 estimates base and July 1, 2024 estimate).
2010 Census
10,600
April 2020 (estimates base)
11,264
July 2024 estimate
11,627
Change 2010-2020
+6.3%
Change 2020-2024
+3.2%
Photos of Storm Lake
Hover over a photo to see it larger. Tap on mobile.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, taken in or near Storm Lake. Credits and licenses are shown in the larger view.
Soils of Storm Lake
General soil map unit at the city center: Sac-Primghar-Galva
Soil Properties
- Drainage class
- Well drained
- Hydrologic soil group
- B (moderate infiltration)
- Available water storage (0–150 cm)
- 29.3 cm
- Typical slope
- 4%
- Flooding frequency
- None
Soil Components
- Sac24%
Mollisols · Oxyaquic Hapludolls
- Galva21%
Mollisols · Typic Hapludolls
- Primghar13%
Mollisols · Aquic Hapludolls
- Primghar10%
Mollisols · Aquic Hapludolls
- Marcus8%
Mollisols · Typic Endoaquolls
- Colo4%
Mollisols · Cumulic Endoaquolls
Source: USDA NRCS U.S. General Soil Map (STATSGO2). General soil map data (1:250,000 scale) is not suitable for site-specific decisions.
Climate of Storm Lake
30-year averages (1991–2020) from the Storm Lake, Ia weather station, elevation 1,442 ft.
Warmest month
Jul · avg high 82°F
Coldest month
Jan · avg low 9°F
Annual precipitation
33.8 in
Average Monthly Temperatures (°F)
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg high °F | 26 | 30 | 43 | 58 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 74 | 61 | 44 | 31 |
| Avg low °F | 9 | 13 | 25 | 37 | 49 | 60 | 64 | 61 | 53 | 40 | 27 | 15 |
| Precip. in | 0.77 | 1.01 | 1.74 | 3.53 | 4.87 | 5.33 | 3.83 | 4.43 | 2.96 | 2.42 | 1.75 | 1.11 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020. Conditions at the station may differ from other parts of the city.
Natural Hazard Risk in Storm Lake
FEMA National Risk Index ratings for Buena Vista County, compared with all U.S. counties.
Overall risk
Score 39.3 of 100
Expected annual loss
Buildings, population & agriculture
Social vulnerability
Susceptibility to hazard impacts
Community resilience
Ability to prepare & recover
Risk by Hazard
- HailRelatively Moderate
- Winter WeatherRelatively Moderate
- DroughtRelatively Moderate
- TornadoRelatively Moderate
- Strong WindRelatively Moderate
- Cold WaveRelatively Low
- Ice StormRelatively Low
- LandslideVery Low
- Inland FloodingVery Low
- Heat WaveVery Low
- EarthquakeVery Low
- LightningVery Low
- WildfireVery Low
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025 release). County-level ratings are relative to other U.S. counties and are not a property-specific assessment.
Storm Lake FAQ
What county is Storm Lake in?
+
Storm Lake, Iowa is located in Buena Vista County.
What is the population of Storm Lake?
+
Storm Lake has a population of about 10,600, making it the number 35 of the 44 Iowa cities listed on GIS Map.
What is the elevation of Storm Lake?
+
The elevation of Storm Lake is approximately 1,421 feet (433 meters) above sea level at the city center.
What ZIP codes are in Storm Lake?
+
The ZIP code for Storm Lake is 50588.
What time zone is Storm Lake in?
+
Storm Lake is in the Central Time zone (America/Chicago).
How far is Storm Lake from Des Moines?
+
Storm Lake is about 109 miles from Des Moines, the capital of Iowa, in a straight line.
What cities are near Storm Lake?
+
Cities near Storm Lake include Spencer, IA (35 miles); Carroll, IA (43 miles); Le Mars, IA (50 miles); Fort Dodge, IA (54 miles); Sioux City, IA (62 miles).
Local notes for Storm Lake, IA
Questions and local knowledge from people who know the area. Every note is read before it appears here.