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Clay Center, Kansas

14 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1891 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Clay Center City. It lies in ZIP code area 67432. It stands on Spring Creek. The Survey maps it on the Clay Center NE quadrangle. 4,199 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,201 feet above sea level.

Clay Center within Clay County

On record in Clay Center

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 3 records

Population over time

2 figures

Clay Center fell from 4,334 to 4,199 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.

YearPeople Change
20104,334
20204,199-135 (-3%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 surveys from 14 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

25 since 2015

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 25 fires within 5 miles of Clay Center between 2015 and 2020, burning about 173 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 2 were 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 burning10
Missing data/not specified/undetermined7
Equipment and vehicle use4
Arson/incendiarism2
Smoking1
Natural1

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
5 September 2018Arson/incendiarismunder an acreKansas Forest Service2018111
17 September 2017Naturalunder an acreClay County2017081
5 July 2018Debris and open burning1.0 acresKansas Forest Service15
25 June 2015Debris and open burning1.0 acresKansas Forest Service1500011
1 June 2020Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresKansas Forest Servicenot named
28 April 2018Arson/incendiarismunder an acreKansas Forest Service2018064
8 March 2015Debris and open burning30 acresKansas Forest Service1438
7 March 2015Debris and open burning20 acresKansas Forest Service150004

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Clay County

Mines and quarries near this place

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Clay Center: 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Clay. 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
Alsop Sand Pit & PlantClayPast Producer

Every working recorded in Clay County

Storms near this place

60 of 131 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Clay Center in 131 storm reports between 1993 and 2024: 67 hail, 51 thunderstorm wind, 7 flash flood, 3 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
May 2007Flash FloodClay Center$600,000Water reported over 9th road and Kiowa south of Clay Center. Road is closed.
July 1994Thunderstorm WindClay Center$500,000Strong thunderstorm winds caused major tree damage in the area.
May 2007Flash FloodClay Center$200,000One foot of water flowing over Crawford street in town.
April 2006Tornado (F1)Clay Center$100,000This tornado formed from a supercell thunderstorm 2 miles west of Clay Center at 3:40pm cst and travelled 9 miles before lifting 2 miles south-southwest of Garfield Center at 3:52pm cst. The tornado was up to 1/2 mile wide at times and damaged numerous outbuildings, trees, roofs, and irrigation pivots along its path. It was rated as a strong F1 tornado.
June 1994HailClay Center$50,000no account filed
June 1994HailClay Center$50,000no account filed
August 1997LightningClay Center$15,000no account filed
May 1996Flash FloodClay Center$10,000no account filed
September 2004Thunderstorm WindClay Center$9,000Strong winds blew down power lines. Also a tree was blow down onto a parked car doing minor damage. Asecond tree was blown down onto the roof of a house causing some roof damage.
August 2003Thunderstorm WindClay Center$5,000Strong winds destroyed some outbuildings.
August 2003Thunderstorm WindClay Center$5,000Strong winds damaged power poles.
October 1997Thunderstorm WindClay Center$1,000no account filed
October 1997Thunderstorm WindClay Center$1,000no account filed
May 1993Thunderstorm WindClay Center$500no account filed
August 2024Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Picture from social media of a large part of a healthy tree down across road.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Tree down on Third Street in Clay Center.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Estimated wind gusts.
April 2023Thunderstorm WindClay Center-NWS storm survey found extensive tree damage in Clay Center from a microburst with 80 to 90 mph winds.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Kansas state mesonet site reported a wind gust of 61 mph.
April 2022HailClay Center-Quarter sized hail reported.
April 2022Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Measured at mesonet station ew5822 clay center.
December 2021Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Measured at mesonet station ew5822 clay center.
December 2021Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Damage to metal grain bins.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Measured wind gust.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Measured by a automated station.
August 2019Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Rotten tree uprooted.
May 2018Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Measured by a mesonet site.
May 2018Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Strong winds were reported on the gust front. Power was also out in Clay Center.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindClay Center-A tree trunk in 1-2 feet in diameter was snapped at the base of the trunk. The report was received via a social media photo.
May 2018HailClay Center-Dime to nickel size hail was reported.
August 2016HailClay Center-Winds were estimated up to 50 mph. No damage was reported.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Delayed report.
October 2016Tornado (EF1)Clay Center-This tornado was documented by storm chasers with video and photos which showed a well developed cone shaped tornado that at times appears to have done damage along a nearly 300 yard swath at least briefly after it crossed highway 15 in an open field. The main structures impacted included a farmstead with grain bins and other outbuildings exhibiting high end EF1 damage. Winds to around 110 mph were estimated at the farmstead. Given the lack of damage indicators along the path it is possible that this tornado was stronger at some point in its life as it moved through open fields.
October 2016HailClay Center-Largest hailstone in the photo was approximately 2 inches in diameter.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Minor tree damage in Clay Center.
August 2014Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Large tree limbs down.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Medium sized tree limbs down.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindClay Center-A tree limb fell on power line.
August 2013Flash FloodClay Center-Several streets in Clay center have water running over them.
October 2013Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Large tree limb blocking the road on the outskirts of city. No diameter given.
October 2013Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Wind gust estimated.
May 2013Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Large tree down in town square. Time estimated from radar.
June 2011FloodClay Center-Widespread flooding continues in Clay County along large stem rivers and smaller streams. Highway 15 was down to one lane near the Republican River.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindClay Center-In Clay Center 7 to 9 inch diameter tree limbs were snapped at 9th Street and Dexter as a result of strong thunderstorm winds.
August 2009Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Numerous power lines were blown down in the town of Clay Center.
June 2008Tornado (EF1)Clay Center-A third tornado touched down in Clay County the night of the 5th. The weak tornado caused window, roof, and siding damage to several homes along it's path. Storm surveyors also noted that several trees and outbuildings had also been damaged or destroyed.
June 2008HailClay Center-Trained spotters and law enforcement officials across Clay Center called as hail quickly grew from one and a half inches in diameter the size of golfballs, to tennis balls, and finally to three and a half inches in diameter. The city of Clay Center, and local newspapers relayed numerous reports of damage. The large hail backed up storm sewers, which lead to flash flooding in the city. Homes and farm buildings were damaged. Vehicles, especially windshields also suffered fairly extensive damage.
June 2008HailClay Center-Law enforcement and trained spotters reported hail from the size of walnuts to the size of golfballs.
September 2007Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Estimated 60mph winds at the intersection of 14th and Frontier.
April 2006Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Debris reported on the west side of town.
August 2006Thunderstorm WindClay Center-Report of trees and tree limbs down. High winds and heavy rain forced two cars down an embankment off the Wakefield Causeway. Two individuals needed to be transported to area hospitals with indirect injuries following the accidents.
July 2001Flash FloodClay Center-Heavy rains caused flash flooding in Clay Center and rural areas of Clay county.
September 1998Heavy RainClay Center-Heavy rains fell across Clay county during the evening hours. Clay Center received 4.97 inches of rain but there were public reports of as much as 6 to 7 inches south and east of Clay Center. A road east of Clay Center was flooded for a time.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindClay Center-no account filed
June 2024Thunderstorm WindClay Center-no account filed
June 2024HailClay Center-no account filed
June 2024Thunderstorm WindClay Center-no account filed
June 2017Thunderstorm WindClay Center-no account filed
June 2015HailClay Center-no account filed
July 2014HailClay Center-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Clay 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
Broughton (historical)5.4 miles14
Green7.4 miles14
Morganville7.4 miles14
Idana7.5 miles14
Ladysmith7.9 miles14
Oscar (historical)9.7 miles13
Garfield Center10.1 miles13
Browndale12.0 miles14

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 Clay CenterAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1914606The 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 476034. 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.