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Emporia, Kansas

18 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1888 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Emporia City. It lies in ZIP code area 66801. The Survey maps it on the Emporia quadrangle. 24,139 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,148 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Emporia within Lyon County

On record in Emporia

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 12 of 18 shown

Every listing in Lyon County

Population over time

2 figures

Emporia fell from 24,916 to 24,139 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
201024,916
202024,139-777 (-3%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 surveys from 18 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

94 since 2015

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 94 fires within 5 miles of Emporia between 2015 and 2020, burning about 1,239 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 6 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
Missing data/not specified/undetermined39
Debris and open burning25
Power generation/transmission/distribution7
Arson/incendiarism6
Equipment and vehicle use5
Smoking5
Fireworks3
Misuse of fire by a minor2
Natural2

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
27 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreKansas Forest Service2634
21 September 2015Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreKansas Forest Service2584
13 September 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreLyon County2562
5 August 2018Debris and open burningunder an acreKansas Forest Service2312
5 August 2015Debris and open burningunder an acreKansas Forest Service2161
4 August 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreKansas Forest Service2300
23 August 2015Naturalunder an acreKansas Forest Service2304
9 July 2017Arson/incendiarismunder an acreLyon County1890

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Lyon County

Storms near this place

60 of 215 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Emporia in 215 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 90 thunderstorm wind, 83 hail, 23 flash flood, 5 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
November 1998Flash FloodEmporia$2,500,000no account filed
May 2007Flash FloodEmporia$200,000Report of water flowing over K-99 north of town. This portion of the road has been barricaded by law enforcement. Unofficial reports of 5 to 6 inches of rain received. The police department reported water damage and several evacuations took place.
May 2007FloodEmporia$100,000Moderate or greater flooding...including flooding of rural roads...in the immediate reach of the gages on the Cottonwood near Emporia, the Neosho river near Emporia, the Neosho River near Neosho Rapids and near Reading on the Marais Des Cygnes.
May 2006Flash FloodEmporia$100,000Thunderstorms dumped heavy rainfall on the city of Emporia, causing widespread street flooding. 2 to 3 inches of rain were estimated to have fallen in the mid to late afternoon hours. Many roads were closed due to the rapidly rising water, and underpasses were filled with water as well. Water levels rose past the bumpers of many cars, and several water rescues had to be performed from people stranded on the roofs of their cars. Homes and businesses were also flooded as a result of the heavy rains. The heaviest street flooding and some water rescues were reported at the State Street underpass, the intersections of 6th and Congress, and the intersections of 12th and Burlingame Rd. There were no deaths or injuries reported.
June 1995Tornado (F1)Emporia$100,000A small tornado hit in the 3100 block of Road N, damaging trees, power poles, fencing, farm buildings, and hog sheds.
June 1996Flash FloodEmporia$100,000no account filed
June 1994Thunderstorm WindEmporia$50,000Gusty winds damaged a barn and knocked shingles off roofs of other buildings. Lightning also caused many power outages.
July 1994Thunderstorm WindEmporia$50,000Winds clocked to 73 mph at the Emporia Airport caused widespread and severe damage to trees, power lines and some buildings around much of the county.
October 1998Flash FloodEmporia$35,000no account filed
June 2025Flash FloodEmporia$20,000Numerous roads closed across the Lyon County, including roads that rarely flood.
July 2012Thunderstorm WindEmporia$10,000Tree limbs were down, blocking roadways in Emporia. Also a grain bin was destroyed and blown over 3 miles northeast of Emporia.
July 1996Thunderstorm WindEmporia$10,000no account filed
June 2006LightningEmporia$7,000Lightning struck and severely damaged the cross atop St. Andrew's Episcopal Church as well as caused damage to the stained glass window and narthex.
June 1999Thunderstorm WindEmporia$4,000Strong winds blew the roof off a house.
June 1999Thunderstorm WindEmporia$3,000Strong winds blew the roof off a trailer home.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindEmporia$3,000no account filed
July 1996Thunderstorm WindEmporia$3,000no account filed
July 2002Thunderstorm WindEmporia$2,000Strong winds downed power poles south of Emporia.
June 2002LightningEmporia$2,000Lightning struck a power line knocking out power for a time.
August 2000Thunderstorm WindEmporia$2,000Strong winds knocked down power poles in Emporia.
June 1998LightningEmporia$2,000no account filed
June 1998Thunderstorm WindEmporia$2,000no account filed
July 1996Thunderstorm WindEmporia$2,000no account filed
June 1998Thunderstorm WindEmporia$1,000no account filed
July 1996Thunderstorm WindEmporia$1,000no account filed
September 2012Thunderstorm WindEmporia$500An 8 inch tree limb broke near 12th Street and Chestnut in Emporia, Kansas.
July 1996LightningEmporia$500no account filed
July 1996LightningEmporia$100no account filed
April 2026HailEmporia-Emporia city manager reported quarter to half dollar size hail.
August 2024Flash FloodEmporia-Emergency services were called to six locations in Emporia to help motorists who had driven into flood waters and become stranded.
August 2024Flash FloodEmporia-Commercial street flooded near and south of 8th avenue. Water that is several inches deep were affecting businesses.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindEmporia-Reports of tree damage and power lines down in the city of Emporia.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindEmporia-Measured by personal weather station.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindEmporia-Trained spotter estimated 60 mph winds on northeast side of Emporia.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindEmporia-Large limb of tree (around 12 inches in diameter) snapped near base.
June 2024Flash FloodEmporia-Broadcast media is reporting multiple road closures in and around Emporia due to heavy rainfall.
April 2023Thunderstorm WindEmporia-Report from mping of small tree limbs broken or shingles blown off.
May 2023HailEmporia-Quarter sized hail reported.
June 2023HailEmporia-Ping pong ball sized hail reported.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindEmporia-Measured on a personal weather station.
May 2022HailEmporia-Report from mping.
September 2022Thunderstorm WindEmporia-Numerous tree limbs and power lines down. One house had a tree fall onto the roof.
May 2021Thunderstorm WindEmporia-Shed blown down.
August 2021HailEmporia-Nickel size hail reported. Report relayed from KVOE radio.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindEmporia-Report of a 10 inch diameter tree blown down onto a vehicle.
August 2021Flash FloodEmporia-Report from mping of homes and buildings flooded.
December 2021Thunderstorm WindEmporia-Tree limbs 1 inch in diameter broken, shingles blown off roof.
December 2021HailEmporia-Quarter sized hail reported.
December 2021HailEmporia-Tennis ball sized hail reported at I-35 and R1 east of Emporia.
December 2021HailEmporia-Quarter sized hail.
December 2021HailEmporia-Golf ball sized hail reported at Fanestil original plant on K-99.
December 2021HailEmporia-Apricot sized hail reported.
December 2021Thunderstorm WindEmporia-Tree limbs 3 inches in diameter broken, power poles broken.
May 2020HailEmporia-Nickel size hail reported at KVOE studios.
May 2020HailEmporia-Quarter size hail reported via broadcast media at KVOE.
May 2020HailEmporia-Quarter size hail reported via broadcast media at KVOE.
May 2020HailEmporia-Reported on social media.
July 2020Flash FloodEmporia-Report of flood waters flowing over Road 150 in the 900 to 1000 block area.
July 2020Flash FloodEmporia-Roadway covered with water at the 2000 block of Highway 99 just north of Emporia.
April 2019Flash FloodEmporia-Several roads and streets were closed in and around Emporia.

Every storm recorded in Lyon 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
Emporia Junction1.1 miles18
Berkeley Hills1.1 miles18
Merrick3.3 miles18
Lang6.5 miles17
Plymouth8.0 miles18
Americus8.3 miles15
Olpe9.8 miles16
Neosho Rapids10.3 miles16

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 EmporiaAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1583523The 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 477524. 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.