Alma, Kansas
16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1889 and the latest in 1990. It stands in Alma Township. It lies in ZIP code area 66401. It stands on South Branch Mill Creek. The Survey maps it on the Alma quadrangle. 802 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,106 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Alma
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 8 records
Alma Downtown Historic Districtlisted 2009
Brandt Hotellisted 2008
Stuewe Houselisted 2007
Sump Barnlisted 2022
Peter Thoes Barnlisted 2013
Wabaunsee County Courthouselisted 2002- Fix Farmsteadlisted 2015
- Grimm-Schultz Farmsteadlisted 2020
Population over time
2 figuresAlma fell from 832 to 802 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 832 | |
| 2020 | 802 | -30 (-4%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 16 printed sheetsMatched 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.
- 1889 USGS Wamego quadrangle1:125000
- 1894 USGS Wamego quadrangle1:125000, 5 printings
- 1954 USGS Alma quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1955 USGS Manhattan quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1956 USGS Manhattan quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Manhattan quadrangle1:250000
- 1985 USGS Manhattan quadrangle1:100000
- 1990 USGS Manhattan quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
18 since 2015Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 18 fires within 5 miles of Alma between 2015 and 2020, burning about 208 acres in total. None 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 |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 13 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 August 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Wabaunsee County | 52 |
| 3 July 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2.0 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 58 |
| 12 July 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 25 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 61 |
| 2 May 2015 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 32 |
| 14 April 2020 | Debris and open burning | 10 acres | Kansas Forest Service | not named |
| 21 March 2015 | Debris and open burning | 25 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 24 |
| 21 March 2015 | Debris and open burning | 10 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 25 |
| 20 March 2015 | Debris and open burning | 10 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 23 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
1 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Alma: 1 producer. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stuewe Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 81 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Alma in 81 storm reports between 1994 and 2026: 39 hail, 27 thunderstorm wind, 7 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1995 | Hail | Alma | $400,000 | Large hail driven by 60 to 80 mph winds caused widespread damage throughout the north half of the county. Many windows were broken, siding chip and riped and vehicles damaged. Several school buildings suffered enough damage to cancel class for at least a day. |
| April 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | $381,000 | Strong winds blew down beams on a new high school under construction in Alma. |
| March 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | $6,000 | Strong winds blew down trees and damaged several buildings. |
| April 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | $4,000 | Strong winds damaged several buildings in Alma. |
| April 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | $3,000 | Strong winds blew down power lines and tore off tree limbs. |
| October 1998 | Lightning | Alma | $1,000 | Lightning struck a car traveling on K-99 highway destroying a ham radio and burning off a ham radio antenna and produced burns on the trunk. |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | $500 | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Lightning | Alma | $400 | Lightning struck a home and damaged an air conditioner. |
| April 2026 | Tornado (EF0) | Alma | - | Intermittent tree limb damage noted along this short path. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | - | Delayed Report, time estimated from radar. Brief downburst from otherwise non-severe storms. Third of shop roof was blown off and over the house. The house's garage door was blown inward. A basketball goal with cement footing was blown over. Event was captured on doorbell camera. |
| March 2024 | Hail | Alma | - | Ping pong ball size hail was reported in Alma. |
| March 2024 | Hail | Alma | - | Softball size hail reported by law enforcement southwest of Alma. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | - | Estimated 60 mph gust. |
| August 2022 | Hail | Alma | - | Ping pong ball sized hail reported. |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | - | Report of 60 mph wind gust. |
| June 2022 | Hail | Alma | - | Quarter sized hail reported. |
| October 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | - | Estimated wind gust. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | - | Wind gusts estimated. |
| August 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | - | Wind gusts estimated. |
| October 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | - | Small limbs down with pea size hail. Time estimated from radar. |
| July 2010 | Flash Flood | Alma | - | Local law enforcement reported several areas of water one foot deep flowing across Old K-10 Road in between Alma and Alta Vista. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | - | Law enforcement officers and trained spotters from across Wabaunsee County estimated 60 mph wind gusts. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | - | A couple spotters near the community of Alma reported 60 mph wind gusts. Some small tree limbs approximately 1 to 2 inches wide were broken as a result of the winds. One spotter reported that the wind lasted approximately 10 minutes at the residence. |
| April 2009 | Flash Flood | Alma | - | Police officers reported locations along and near Hwy 99. Notably, several inches of water was reported to be flowing over Hwy 18 just west of it's intersection with Hwy 99. Water was also reported to be flowing over several portions of Hwy 99 near Alma, and on Paxico Road near Newberry. |
| July 2008 | Flash Flood | Alma | - | Water reported to have been flowing over K-99. The road was closed from just north of the town of Alma northward to the I-70 interchange. The Alma Food Mart, loacated in the town of Alma, suffered extensive roof damage as a result of the heavy rain. Approximately three inches of rain fell in town, and the roof of the store was already structurally compromised by hailstorms earlier in the summer. The Alma Grade School and Wabaunsee High School also reported water damage as a result of the heavy rain, and hail damage from previous storms. Residents near each school also noted extensive run-off through their yards. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | - | Trees blown over Highway 99. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Alma | - | One off-duty NWS employee and several storm spotters called in hail from the size of pennies to the size of quarters along the path of the storm, including on the north side of Alma. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Alma | - | A report of a measured four inch hailstone that fell in the town of Alma. |
| October 2007 | Hail | Alma | - | Hail fell for 5 minutes and covered the ground. |
| May 2007 | Funnel Cloud | Alma | - | Several reports of this funnel cloud. |
| May 2007 | Tornado (EF0) | Alma | - | Brief touchdown from a mini-supercell, 2 miles southeast of Interstate 70 near Alma. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | - | Large tree reported to have blown down. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | - | Trees reported down just north of town. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | - | Power lines down. |
| June 2004 | Flash Flood | Alma | - | Heavy rain caused runoff to flow over K99 highway north of Alma. |
| June 2001 | Flash Flood | Alma | - | Heavy rains from thunderstorms in the area caused flooding of many roads in the county for a time. |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | - | Large tree limbs were downed. |
| June 1999 | Flood | Alma | - | Heavy rains of one to 3 inches in less than a one hour time period caused flooding in the Alma area. Some roads and small bridges were inundated by flood water for a time. |
| May 1999 | Tornado (F0) | Alma | - | The fourth tornado touched down over open country north of Alma and moved a short distance over open country before dissipating. |
| May 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | - | High winds knocked down trees and tree limbs. |
| May 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | - | Winds were estimated at 50 to 60 mph by the public. No damage was reported or observed. |
| June 2015 | Hail | Alma | - | no account filed |
| September 2015 | Hail | Alma | - | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Hail | Alma | - | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Hail | Alma | - | no account filed |
| August 2010 | Hail | Alma | - | no account filed |
| May 2009 | Hail | Alma | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Alma | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Alma | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Alma | - | no account filed |
| September 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alma | - | no account filed |
| October 2007 | Hail | Alma | - | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Hail | Alma | - | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Hail | Alma | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Flash Flood | Alma | - | no account filed |
| April 2003 | Hail | Alma | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Alma | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Alma | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Alma | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Alma | - | no account filed |
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.
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 Alma | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2461619 | The 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 476598. 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.







