Silver Lake, Kansas
20 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1889 and the latest in 1983. It stands in Silver Lake Township. It lies in ZIP code area 66539. It stands on Ensign Creek. The Survey maps it on the Silver Lake quadrangle. 1,345 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 912 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresSilver Lake fell from 1,439 to 1,345 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 | 1,439 | |
| 2020 | 1,345 | -94 (-7%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 20 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.
- 1889 USGS Topeka quadrangle1:125000
- 1894 USGS Topeka quadrangle1:125000, 5 printings
- 1950 USGS Kansas City quadrangle1:250000
- 1952 USGS Silver Lake quadrangle1:24000, 4 printings
- 1954 USGS Kansas City quadrangle1:250000
- 1956 USGS Kansas City quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1960 USGS Kansas City quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1983 USGS Silver Lake quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
76 since 2005Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 76 fires within 5 miles of Silver Lake between 2005 and 2019, burning about 719 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 21 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 | 33 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 21 |
| Debris and open burning | 15 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
| Natural | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 15 |
| 19 September 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 17217 |
| 13 September 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Shawnee County | 219 |
| 11 August 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 232 |
| 9 July 2018 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 200 |
| 19 June 2018 | Natural | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 174 |
| 15 June 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Shawnee County | 95 |
| 11 June 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 8824 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
54 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Silver Lake in 54 storm reports between 1994 and 2024: 26 thunderstorm wind, 18 hail, 4 tornado, 3 flash 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 1995 | Tornado (F0) | Silver Lake | $100,000 | A small weak tornado touched down briefly on the west side of Silver Lake, near the COOP business, damaging several buildings, a storage tank and a shed. |
| September 1999 | Lightning | Silver Lake | $40,000 | Severe thunderstorms developed over east-central Kansas the evening of the 26th and produced several reports of large hail. Lightning also struck a house near Silver Lake and ignited a fire that destroyed the residence. |
| May 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | $25,000 | High winds and hail to nearly two inches produced damage in the area. Jefferson County Perry ,17,0250CST,,,0,0,10K,?,Hail (0.75) |
| June 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | $5,000 | High winds knocked down several large trees. |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | $3,000 | Strong winds downed power lines doing some damage to them. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | $1,000 | Strong winds blew over a road sign along Interstate 70. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | Large tree limbs broken and peach tree uprooted. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | Tree damage across much of the community of Silver Lake consistent with widespread estimated 70-90 mph wind speeds. |
| April 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | Report of 8 inch diameter tree split in half. |
| May 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | Winds estimated at 65 mph, small tree limbs broken. |
| July 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | Estimated gusts of 70 to 75 mph. |
| April 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | Wind gust of 70 mph reported. No known damage. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | Survey found numerous tree with damage and a few center pivots overturned. Winds estimated as high as 85 mph. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | Relayed through the Emergency Manager. |
| May 2022 | Hail | Silver Lake | - | Via social media. |
| April 2020 | Hail | Silver Lake | - | Nickel sized hail reported. |
| April 2020 | Hail | Silver Lake | - | Quarter sized hail reported. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | Numerous small tree limbs down with limbs up to 6 inches in diameter snapped. |
| August 2017 | Flash Flood | Silver Lake | - | Northwest Hodges Road from 35th Street to Highway 24 is approximately 2 feet under water. |
| May 2016 | Tornado (EF0) | Silver Lake | - | Small tornado was apparently embedded within a bow echo that moved across Silver Lake. The straight line winds associated with the bow echo produced more widespread damage both north and south of highway 24 where several irrigation pivots were overturned. A more concentrated area of tree and minor structural damage occurred south of highway 24 beginning in southwest parts of Silver Lake and continuing ENE for approximately 1.5 miles. One outbuilding was severely damaged where appeared the wind entered on the southwest side and contributed to the failure of the structure. |
| May 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | Report of an outbuilding destroyed and irrigation pivots overturned. Near 89th Street and Highway 24. |
| April 2016 | Tornado (EF0) | Silver Lake | - | Storm chaser reported a confirmed tornado with several photos of a ragged funnel and reported that they saw debris kicked up on the ground. No damage and occurred in an open field. |
| September 2016 | Flash Flood | Silver Lake | - | Driveway was washed out by flash-flooding. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | Wind gusts estimated. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | Broadcast media reports estimated wind speeds of 60 mph in Silver Lake. |
| September 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | Some 3 inch diameter limbs about 8 to 9 feet long was reported down in a yard. Power to the house was knocked out. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | A trained spotter reported a 60 mph wind gust near Silver Lake, which broke some small tree limbs on the property. |
| September 2008 | Flood | Silver Lake | - | Reported water over Northwest 31st St. up to 1 foot deep. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | The Kansas Highway Patrol and amateur radio reported a 60 to 70 mph wind gust along this path. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | A sixty by eighty foot metal shed was blown down. Tree damage was also reported. |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | 8 inch diameter tree snapped in half. Time estimated. Damage was caused by decaying thunderstorms which resulted in reports of rapid temperature rises...known as heat bursts...across the area. |
| August 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | Small to medium size trees toppled or uprooted. |
| August 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Silver Lake | - | A tornado touched down over open country south of Silver Lake and traveled a short distance before dissipating. |
| April 2016 | Hail | Silver Lake | - | no account filed |
| April 2014 | Hail | Silver Lake | - | no account filed |
| October 2014 | Hail | Silver Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Hail | Silver Lake | - | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Hail | Silver Lake | - | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Hail | Silver Lake | - | no account filed |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | no account filed |
| March 2006 | Hail | Silver Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Silver Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Silver Lake | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Hail | Silver Lake | - | no account filed |
| April 2001 | Hail | Silver Lake | - | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Silver Lake | - | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Silver Lake | - | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Silver Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | no account filed |
| September 2000 | Hail | Silver Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Silver Lake | - | no account filed |
| October 1997 | Funnel Cloud | Silver Lake | - | no account filed |
| August 1996 | Flash Flood | Silver Lake | - | 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 Silver Lake | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2666509 | 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 478658. 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.







