Coldwater, Kansas
13 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1892 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Coldwater Township. It lies in ZIP code area 67029. The Survey maps it on the Coldwater quadrangle. 687 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 2,106 feet above sea level.
On record in Coldwater
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 2 records
Chief Theaterlisted 2005
Comache County Courthouselisted 2002
Population over time
2 figuresColdwater fell from 828 to 687 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 | 828 | |
| 2020 | 687 | -141 (-17%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 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.
- 1892 USGS Coldwater quadrangle1:125000, 5 printings
- 1955 USGS Pratt quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1959 USGS Pratt quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1979 USGS Coldwater quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Protection quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
23 since 2015Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 23 fires within 5 miles of Coldwater between 2015 and 2020, burning about 112 acres in total. 8 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 |
|---|---|
| Natural | 8 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 7 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
| Smoking | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 2015 | Natural | 5.0 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 2015047 |
| 5 September 2018 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 2018052 |
| 18 September 2015 | Natural | 15 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 2015051 |
| 15 September 2017 | Natural | 1.0 acres | Comanche County | 2017054 |
| 3 July 2017 | Natural | under an acre | Comanche County | 2017043 |
| 29 July 2015 | Natural | 2.0 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 2015038 |
| 29 July 2015 | Natural | 2.0 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 2015037 |
| 17 July 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Comanche County | 2017047 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
60 of 217 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Coldwater in 217 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 162 hail, 42 thunderstorm wind, 6 heavy rain, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | $30,000 | Thunderstorm winds gustine 80 to 100 mph were reported by the Comanche County Law Enforcement at 2110 CST. |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | $5,000 | Ten power poles snapped 6 feet above the ground. |
| April 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | $5,000 | A tin roof was blown off a hangar. |
| June 1994 | Hail | Coldwater | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | $500 | Window blown out of a house. |
| April 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | $500 | Winds blew two large doors off a barn. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | An Ambient wind measuring station reported 78 mph gusts. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | Social media report of broken windows, downed trees, and downed power poles. |
| May 2025 | Tornado (EF3) | Coldwater | - | First tornado of this prolific cyclic supercell with the vortex starting in far northern Comanche County KS and then traveling north-northeast for over 8 miles before ending around 7 miles southeast of Mullinville KS in Kiowa County KS. Maximum width of almost a half mile with peak winds of at least 155 mph (EF3). ||A farm grain cart was tossed/tumbled at least 100 yards, Total destruction of a metal building system. Trees debarked with only stubs of largest branches remaining. Electrical transmission lines were damaged. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | A wind gust of 60 mph was reported. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | Trees uprooted or snapped. |
| September 2024 | Hail | Coldwater | - | A NWS employee reported hail of 1.25 4 miles south of Lake Coldwater. |
| August 2018 | Heavy Rain | Coldwater | - | Rainfall of 3.07 inches was observed. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | Winds were estimated to be 60 MPH, at least. |
| July 2017 | Hail | Coldwater | - | Most of the hail was pea sized. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | Power poles were blown down by the high wind. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | A semi truck was blown over at the intersection of 183 and 160. |
| June 2014 | Flood | Coldwater | - | Roads along both sides of Coldwater lake were under water. |
| June 2014 | Heavy Rain | Coldwater | - | Rainfall of 2.68 inches was observed. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | A roof was blown off a building and a vehicle was blown over onto its side. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | Numerous trees were blown down by the high wind. |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | East winds estimated to be 70 MPH destroyed a shed. |
| September 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | Winds were estimated to be 70 MPH. |
| April 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | The metal roof of the Coldwater laundry building was torn off by the high winds. |
| November 2012 | Hail | Coldwater | - | The hail covered the ground. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | A carport was blown down by the strong wind. |
| August 2010 | Heavy Rain | Coldwater | - | Rainfall of 4.07 was observed. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | Winds were estimated to at least 60 mph as branches were breaking off of trees. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | Three inch diameter tree limbs were broken by the high wind. |
| October 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | Roof damage was reported a a vent was torn off a bus. |
| May 2008 | Tornado (EF1) | Coldwater | - | This tornado moved north into Kiowa county and caused EF1 damage to trees, pivot sprinklers and a house. |
| May 2007 | Tornado (EF1) | Coldwater | - | This was the beginning of the Greensburg tornado that eventually grew into a monster killer in Kiowa county (moving into Kiowa county at 2003 CST). In Comanche county it struck some oil tanks and trees causing EF1 damage to those objects. Oil was strewn across pastures and a county road. |
| May 2007 | Tornado (EF1) | Coldwater | - | This was a satellite tornado that moved into Kiowa county. It was confirmed by both video from storm chasers and by a ground survey. It struck some trees causing EF1 damage. |
| May 2006 | Hail | Coldwater | - | The hail covered the ground. |
| May 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | A tree was blown across the highway near the Clark/Comanche county line. |
| May 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | Two inch diameter tree limbs were broken. |
| June 2005 | Hail | Coldwater | - | The hail covered the ground. |
| June 2005 | Hail | Coldwater | - | Small tree branches were also blown down. |
| April 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | A mail truck was blown over |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | Ten inch diameter tree limbs were blown down by the wind |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | Numerous large tree limbs were blown down by the wind |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | Six inch diameter tree limbs were blown down across the highway |
| May 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | Power poles were blown down. |
| May 2002 | Hail | Coldwater | - | Hail covered the ground and windows were broken out. Many cars slid off the road in the vicinity due to the hail covering the highway. |
| May 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | Six inch diameter tree limbs blown down. |
| July 2002 | Heavy Rain | Coldwater | - | Water was over highway 183. |
| July 2002 | Heavy Rain | Coldwater | - | Debris was washed across the highwa. |
| April 2001 | Flash Flood | Coldwater | - | Water was over 3 county roads. Also, minor basement flooding was reported. |
| April 2001 | Hail | Coldwater | - | Hail covered the ground |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | Six inch diameter tree limbs broken. |
| July 2000 | Hail | Coldwater | - | At Lake Coldwater. |
| July 1999 | Flash Flood | Coldwater | - | Three 1/2 inches of water over the road and fences washed out. |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Coldwater | - | Six to eight inch diameter limbs blown down. |
| July 1997 | Hail | Coldwater | - | Location 14 ESE Buttermilk |
| July 1997 | Hail | Coldwater | - | Location 16 ESE Buttermilk |
| May 2024 | Hail | Coldwater | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Hail | Coldwater | - | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Hail | Coldwater | - | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Hail | Coldwater | - | no account filed |
| May 2018 | Hail | Coldwater | - | 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.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmore | 7.7 miles | 13 | |
| Protection | 9.5 miles | 13 | |
| Buttermilk | 11.5 miles | 13 |
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 Coldwater | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1004397 | 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 470738. 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.




