Claflin, Kansas
13 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1896 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Independent Township. It lies in ZIP code area 67525. The Survey maps it on the Claflin quadrangle. 562 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,811 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresClaflin fell from 645 to 562 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 | 645 | |
| 2020 | 562 | -83 (-13%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
6 surveys from 13 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.
- 1896 USGS Russell quadrangle1:125000, 4 printings
- 1955 USGS Great Bend quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Great Bend quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Great Bend quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1969 USGS Claflin quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Russell quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
14 since 2015Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 14 fires within 5 miles of Claflin between 2015 and 2020, burning about 232 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 | 6 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 September 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Barton County | 17059 |
| 31 August 2015 | Debris and open burning | 15 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 15025 |
| 20 May 2020 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 4.0 acres | Kansas Forest Service | not named |
| 4 April 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | Kansas Forest Service | not named |
| 14 April 2015 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 1 |
| 5 March 2016 | Debris and open burning | 15 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 16008 |
| 23 March 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 15008 |
| 1 March 2018 | Debris and open burning | 30 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 18011 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
60 of 63 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Claflin in 63 storm reports between 1995 and 2024: 29 hail, 19 thunderstorm wind, 10 tornado, 2 flood. 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 2007 | Tornado (EF1) | Claflin | $2,000,000 | The tornado damaged large trees at several locations along its path. Two barns were destroyed and several outbuildings were also severely damaged. Five 100,000 bushel grain bins were also destroyed with two of them flung onto the local Dillon's grocery store causing damage to that structure. Damage to a church steeple and out building also occurred at the beginning of the tornado path. Tornado was probably descending down directly onto the church. |
| May 1999 | Tornado (F1) | Claflin | $100,000 | In Claflin, one farmstead sustained damage where top half of barn was destroyed, grainery destroyed, grain bin disappeared, and chicken house lost nearly 2/3 of it's roof. |
| May 2007 | Tornado (EF1) | Claflin | $57,000 | The tornado caused significant damage to trees and power lines along its path and also caused minor structual damage to one residence. |
| May 2007 | Tornado (EF1) | Claflin | $20,000 | The tornado crossed into Rice 4.8 miles west-southwest of Bushton and dissipated 2 miles west of Bushton. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Claflin | $1,000 | Some tree damage occurred. |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Claflin | $250 | A 3 inch diameter tree limb was downed. |
| August 2013 | Flash Flood | Claflin | $100 | High water was reported by law enforcement, over Highway K-4 near Claflin. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Claflin | - | An individual sent a social media report via X of three inch hail near Claflin. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Claflin | - | Hail started falling at the size of nickels before increasing to the size of tennis balls then dropping back down to quarter sized hail over a ten minute window in Claflin. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Claflin | - | Spotter reported quarter to ping-pong ball sized hail. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Claflin | - | Measured wind gust from a trained spotter. |
| May 2023 | Hail | Claflin | - | The hail was pea to penny size. A wind gust to 48 mph was also reported. |
| August 2023 | Heavy Rain | Claflin | - | Rainfall in the past 24hours of 2.68 inches. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Claflin | - | The observer in Claflin reported 65 to 70 mph winds and tree damage in down. |
| July 2020 | Flood | Claflin | - | Several roads that normally flood during heavy rains were closed or covered with low amounts of water. |
| June 2019 | Hail | Claflin | - | No damage was reported but one would believe that there was. |
| May 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Claflin | - | A delayed report was received of vehicles that were blown over at a truck repair business. Power poles were also broken at this location. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Claflin | - | No damage was reported. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Claflin | - | The public reporter the gust from social media. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Claflin | - | Tree limbs and branches were downed across town. |
| September 2014 | Heavy Rain | Claflin | - | A COOP observer reported 2.92 inches of rainfall. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Claflin | - | Reported by trained spotter. |
| June 2013 | Hail | Claflin | - | No details were provided with respect to damage. |
| May 2011 | Tornado (EF0) | Claflin | - | A relatively weak tornado moved over open country. |
| June 2010 | Tornado (EF0) | Claflin | - | Brief tornado touchdown in an open field with no damage. |
| September 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Claflin | - | Sixty to seventy mph winds were from thunderstorm outflow winds. |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Claflin | - | Weather lab from KSN TV at Claflin High School measured the gust. |
| June 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Claflin | - | A brief tornado touchdown in open country. No damage was reported. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Claflin | - | Measured at the KSN Weather Lab site in Claflin. |
| August 2007 | Flood | Claflin | - | Northeast 130 Avenue was closed from Highway 156 to 1 mile south of Highway 156 due to high water. There was also water over several rural roads throughout the county. |
| May 2002 | Tornado (F0) | Claflin | - | Occurred in open country. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Claflin | - | Eight-inch limbs downed. |
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Claflin | - | NUMEROUS LARGE TREE LIMBS DOWNED. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Hail | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Hail | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Hail | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| April 2010 | Hail | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| April 2010 | Hail | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| March 2004 | Hail | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Hail | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Hail | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| August 1997 | Hail | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| May 1997 | Tornado (F0) | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| May 1997 | Tornado (F0) | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Claflin | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Claflin | - | 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 Claflin | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2666670 | 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 475531. 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.





