It is believed that he saw the name "Philadelphia" on a croaker sack and struck out the first and last four letters to create the present name of Adel.

[8] On January 22, 2017, a low-end EF3 tornado struck the extreme southern portion of Adel.

Sunshine Acres, a local mobile home park, experienced severe damage, with over 20 homes destroyed and others damaged; seven residents were killed and an indeterminate number were injured or displaced.

[14] The climate in this area is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year.

[15] As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,571 people, 2,111 households, and 1,108 families residing in the city.