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Clay, Kentucky

12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1909 and the latest in 1983. It stands in the Clay census division. It lies in ZIP code area 42404. The Survey maps it on the Providence quadrangle. 1,031 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 381 feet above sea level.

Clay within Webster County

Population over time

3 figures

Clay fell from 1,179 to 1,031 between 2000 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
20001,179
20101,181+2 (+0%)
20201,031-150 (-13%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

7 surveys from 12 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

22 since 2000

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 22 fires within 5 miles of Clay between 2000 and 2016, burning about 657 acres in total. None 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/undetermined8
Arson/incendiarism6
Debris and open burning5
Recreation and ceremony2
Misuse of fire by a minor1

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
28 April 2001Arson/incendiarism5.0 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
7 March 2010Debris and open burning30 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
7 March 2007Recreation and ceremony7.0 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
6 March 2000Arson/incendiarism100 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
30 March 2005Missing data/not specified/undetermined4.0 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
28 March 2004Missing data/not specified/undetermined40 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
26 March 2004Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
25 March 2001Arson/incendiarism50 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Webster County

Mines and quarries near this place

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Clay: 1 prospect, 1 unknown. 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
Highway Junction ShaleClayUnknown
Nesbit Hill ShaleClayProspect

Every working recorded in Webster County

Storms near this place

31 since 1998

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Clay in 31 storm reports between 1998 and 2025: 12 thunderstorm wind, 8 hail, 3 tornado, 3 funnel cloud. The reports record 1 injury. 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 2003Tornado (F2)Clay1 hurt, $1,000,000In Clay, 6 homes and 2 businesses were destroyed. An additional 45 homes and 4 businesses received varying degrees of damage, ranging from minor to major. A woman was injured when a tree fell and landed on her, breaking her hip. Peak winds were estimated near 125 MPH. One of the destroyed businesses was a hardware store. The other business, on the north side of Clay, housed spring planting supplies. That business lost four metal buildings. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down.
May 2003Tornado (F1)Clay$350,000Three large chicken houses were destroyed at a chicken farm on the south side of Highway 109. Peak winds were estimated near 105 MPH. The houses contained about 100,000 chickens, most of which survived.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindClay$40,000Multiple trees and power lines were blown down in and around Clay. Some of the trees blocked streets. A tree fell on a house. Several trees fell across power lines, bringing down power poles.
November 2017Thunderstorm WindClay$30,000A metal farm equipment shed was destroyed. Debris blocked State Highway 132. Another shed lost a small portion of its metal roof. Trees were blown down in the same area.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindClay$25,000Thunderstorm winds caused extensive damage to a house. Part of the house was unroofed, and a wall collapsed.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindClay$15,000About half of a roof was blown off a house. The roofing landed on a second house. Several trees and numerous power lines were down.
March 2019Thunderstorm WindClay$10,000In downtown Clay, there was shingle damage to a business, and trees were down.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindClay$10,000A utility pole was snapped, causing a power outage. Pieces of a roof were blown off a pole barn garage. Several tree limbs were down in the area.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindClay$10,000Trees and limbs were blown down along Route 109 between the communities of Clay and Providence.
February 2011Flash FloodClay$10,000A few state highways were closed by flooding. State Highway 132 was closed between Dixon and Clay due to high water. Two vehicles were abandoned. State Highway 138 was closed near Slaughters. Between Sebree and Dixon, Kentucky 283 was closed a couple miles north of 132. Several other county roads and state highways in the west half of the county were covered with water, including Highway 1340. One vehicle became stranded in flood waters, and water entered the driver's compartment. The driver was rescued uninjured by county rescue crews.
May 2010FloodClay$10,000Kentucky Highway 801 was closed due to a mudslide at mile markers 5 and 6. Kentucky Highways 696 and 138 were closed in spots.
October 2025Thunderstorm WindClay$2,000A power line was blown down near Hall St and Green St in Clay.
March 2017Thunderstorm WindClay$2,000A wind gust to 60 mph was estimated by firefighters.
July 2007Thunderstorm WindClay$2,000Trees were topped out by thunderstorm winds.
February 2025Flash FloodClay-A water rescue occurred on Highway 109 near Wheatcroft due to flash flooding along the Caney Fork.
March 2025HailClay-Quarter size hail fell in Clay for thirty to fourty-five seconds.
May 2025HailClay-Hail estimated to golf ball size was observed south of Clay with a photo relayed through social media.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindClay-An emergency manager estimated winds gusted to at least 60 mph.
March 2012Funnel CloudClay-The funnel cloud was observed between Clay and Dixon along Highway 132.
March 2012HailClay-Golf ball size hail was reported just east of Clay.
March 2012Funnel CloudClay-A funnel cloud was reported between Clay and Dixon along Highway 132.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindClay-A spotter estimated winds gusted to 60 mph.
August 2005Heavy RainClay-Highway 132 was flooded in a couple of spots near Clay. A couple of roads were closed in the county.
May 2003Tornado (F1)Clay-This tornado occurred on Highway 143 just south of Highway 109 at an orchard. Numerous small trees were blown down. An old barn was destroyed, and a house received minor damage. Peak winds were estimated near 105 MPH.
January 2023HailClay-no account filed
March 2020HailClay-no account filed
June 2018HailClay-no account filed
June 2009Funnel CloudClay-no account filed
June 2006HailClay-no account filed
October 2006Heavy RainClay-no account filed
October 2000HailClay-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Webster 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
Fairmont2.0 miles12
Wheatcroft2.4 miles12
West Wheatcroft2.8 miles12
Rock Spring3.3 miles13
Williams3.9 miles13
Virginia3.9 miles13
Hearin4.2 miles13
Diamond4.2 miles12

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 ClayAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2464425The 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 489565. 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.