Galva, Kansas
16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1891 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Empire Township. It lies in ZIP code area 67443. The Survey maps it on the Galva quadrangle. 834 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,545 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresGalva fell from 870 to 834 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 | 870 | |
| 2020 | 834 | -36 (-4%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
6 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.
- 1891 USGS Hutchinson quadrangle1:125000
- 1893 USGS Hutchinson quadrangle1:125000, 5 printings
- 1955 USGS Hutchinson quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1959 USGS Hutchinson quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1965 USGS Galva quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1985 USGS Hutchinson quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
54 since 2003Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 54 fires within 5 miles of Galva between 2003 and 2020, burning about 2,188 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 9 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/undetermined | 16 |
| Debris and open burning | 15 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 9 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 9 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 September 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 828 |
| 2 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 35 acres | Kansas Forest Service | not named |
| 13 September 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | McPherson County | not named |
| 29 August 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | McPherson County | not named |
| 12 August 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | McPherson County | 17-0085 |
| 7 July 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | McPherson County | 17-0076 |
| 6 July 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 35 acres | McPherson County | not named |
| 3 July 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5.0 acres | Kansas Forest Service | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
48 since 1997Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Galva in 48 storm reports between 1997 and 2026: 21 thunderstorm wind, 20 hail, 3 heavy rain, 2 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 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Galva | $1,000,000 | Extensive damage from wind driven hail occurred in and around the town of Galva, Kansas. The winds were estimated to be between 65 and 75 mph causing damage to numerous houses and downing tress across town. Tree limbs eight inches in diameter were knocked down. An RV storage unit had it's roof taken off from the damaging winds. Homes received damage to siding from wind driven half dollar sized hail. The roof of the school had damage as well. |
| May 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Galva | $500,000 | Damaging wind gusts estimated at 75 mph derailed a train, with 33 rail cars knocked off the tracks. Two drivers were aboard the train, but were unharmed. The rail cars contained grain products, and other household goods. Cleanup took over a week to complete. |
| August 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Galva | $25,000 | Storage shed, 8 by 12 feet, dislodged from foundation. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Galva | $15,000 | The combination of heavy rain and high winds aided in a two-vehicle fatal automobile accident on Highway 56 east of McPherson. There was one fatality and one injury associated with the accident. The McPherson Sentinel contributed to this report. |
| May 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Galva | $1,000 | Seventy to 80 mph wind gusts were reported along with large tree limbs down. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Galva | - | Report received via mPing. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Galva | - | A personal weather station measured 59 mph. |
| August 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Galva | - | A trained spotter reported large trees uprooted along with some structural damage. Some debris was strewn about in a field. |
| August 2023 | Heavy Rain | Galva | - | Rainfall in the past 24hours of 3.20 inches. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Galva | - | The public reported the gust. |
| May 2021 | Heavy Rain | Galva | - | This was a 24 hour rainfall report of 3.25 inches at Cocorahs station KS-MP-55 McPherson 6.6 ENE. |
| May 2021 | Heavy Rain | Galva | - | This was a 24 hour rainfall report of 3.13 inches at Cocorahs station KS-MP-65 Galva 0.2 ESE. |
| May 2021 | Flood | Galva | - | County dispatch reported minor flooding with some roads covered in water. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Galva | - | A trained spotter reported frequent gusts of 58 to 65 mph were occurring. |
| September 2019 | Hail | Galva | - | This was a delayed report via MPing. The time of the event was estimated from radar. |
| June 2015 | Flood | Galva | - | Nuisance flooding was noted at many low water crossings in the eastern half of the county. |
| May 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Galva | - | Nickel size hail was also reported along the thunderstorm wind gusts. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Galva | - | A personal weather station measured the gust. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Galva | - | A personal weather station measured the gust. |
| August 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Galva | - | A trained spotter reported the wind gusts. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Galva | - | Estimated gust reported by a trained spotter. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Galva | - | Widespread tree damage and a few downed powerlines were noted as the storms moved through. |
| May 2010 | Tornado (EF0) | Galva | - | Tornado briefly touched down in an open field. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Galva | - | Report courtesy of KSAL radio. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Galva | - | A trained spotter reported the wind gust. |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Galva | - | Branches 3-5 inches in diameter downed. |
| May 2018 | Hail | Galva | - | no account filed |
| May 2016 | Hail | Galva | - | no account filed |
| August 2015 | Hail | Galva | - | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Hail | Galva | - | no account filed |
| February 2012 | Hail | Galva | - | no account filed |
| August 2011 | Hail | Galva | - | no account filed |
| August 2011 | Hail | Galva | - | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Hail | Galva | - | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Hail | Galva | - | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Hail | Galva | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Galva | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Galva | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Galva | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Galva | - | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Galva | - | no account filed |
| August 2003 | Hail | Galva | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Galva | - | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Galva | - | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Galva | - | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Galva | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Tornado (F0) | Galva | - | no account filed |
| May 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Galva | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canton | 5.8 miles | 15 | |
| New Gottland | 6.1 miles | 16 | |
| McPherson | 6.8 miles | 16 | |
| Elyria | 7.9 miles | 16 | |
| Hilton | 8.4 miles | 16 | |
| Johnstown | 10.6 miles | 16 | |
| Groveland | 11.9 miles | 16 | |
| Moundridge | 12.4 miles | 15 |
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 Galva | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1857705 | 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 477203. 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.





