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.
Population over time
3 figuresClay 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,179 | |
| 2010 | 1,181 | +2 (+0%) |
| 2020 | 1,031 | -150 (-13%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 12 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.
- 1909 USGS Providence quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1954 USGS Evansville quadrangle1:250000
- 1954 USGS Providence quadrangle1:24000
- 1954 USGS Providence quadrangle1:62500
- 1957 USGS Evansville quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1961 USGS Evansville quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1983 USGS Madisonville quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
22 since 2000Regional 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/undetermined | 8 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 6 |
| Debris and open burning | 5 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 2 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 April 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 5.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 7 March 2010 | Debris and open burning | 30 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 7 March 2007 | Recreation and ceremony | 7.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 6 March 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 30 March 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 28 March 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 26 March 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
| 25 March 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 acres | Kentucky Division of Forestry | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional 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 | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highway Junction Shale | Clay | Unknown | ||
| Nesbit Hill Shale | Clay | Prospect |
Storms near this place
31 since 1998Regional 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2003 | Tornado (F2) | Clay | 1 hurt, $1,000,000 | In 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 2003 | Tornado (F1) | Clay | $350,000 | Three 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 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay | $40,000 | Multiple 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 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay | $30,000 | A 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 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay | $25,000 | Thunderstorm winds caused extensive damage to a house. Part of the house was unroofed, and a wall collapsed. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay | $15,000 | About 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 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay | $10,000 | In downtown Clay, there was shingle damage to a business, and trees were down. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay | $10,000 | A 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 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay | $10,000 | Trees and limbs were blown down along Route 109 between the communities of Clay and Providence. |
| February 2011 | Flash Flood | Clay | $10,000 | A 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 2010 | Flood | Clay | $10,000 | Kentucky Highway 801 was closed due to a mudslide at mile markers 5 and 6. Kentucky Highways 696 and 138 were closed in spots. |
| October 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay | $2,000 | A power line was blown down near Hall St and Green St in Clay. |
| March 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay | $2,000 | A wind gust to 60 mph was estimated by firefighters. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay | $2,000 | Trees were topped out by thunderstorm winds. |
| February 2025 | Flash Flood | Clay | - | A water rescue occurred on Highway 109 near Wheatcroft due to flash flooding along the Caney Fork. |
| March 2025 | Hail | Clay | - | Quarter size hail fell in Clay for thirty to fourty-five seconds. |
| May 2025 | Hail | Clay | - | Hail estimated to golf ball size was observed south of Clay with a photo relayed through social media. |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay | - | An emergency manager estimated winds gusted to at least 60 mph. |
| March 2012 | Funnel Cloud | Clay | - | The funnel cloud was observed between Clay and Dixon along Highway 132. |
| March 2012 | Hail | Clay | - | Golf ball size hail was reported just east of Clay. |
| March 2012 | Funnel Cloud | Clay | - | A funnel cloud was reported between Clay and Dixon along Highway 132. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clay | - | A spotter estimated winds gusted to 60 mph. |
| August 2005 | Heavy Rain | Clay | - | Highway 132 was flooded in a couple of spots near Clay. A couple of roads were closed in the county. |
| May 2003 | Tornado (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 2023 | Hail | Clay | - | no account filed |
| March 2020 | Hail | Clay | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Hail | Clay | - | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Funnel Cloud | Clay | - | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Hail | Clay | - | no account filed |
| October 2006 | Heavy Rain | Clay | - | no account filed |
| October 2000 | Hail | Clay | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairmont | 2.0 miles | 12 | |
| Wheatcroft | 2.4 miles | 12 | |
| West Wheatcroft | 2.8 miles | 12 | |
| Rock Spring | 3.3 miles | 13 | |
| Williams | 3.9 miles | 13 | |
| Virginia | 3.9 miles | 13 | |
| Hearin | 4.2 miles | 13 | |
| Diamond | 4.2 miles | 12 |
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 Clay | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2464425 | 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 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.






