Kopperl, Texas
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name = Kopperl
|settlement_type = Unincorporated community
Census designated place
|image_skyline = KopperlTexas1 (1 of 1).jpg
|imagesize =
|image_caption =
||pushpin_map = Texas#USA
|pushpin_label_position =
|pushpin_map_caption = Location within the state of Texas
|pushpin_mapsize =
|image_map =
|map_caption = Location within Bosque county
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = United States
|subdivision_type1 = State
|subdivision_name1 = Texas
|subdivision_type2 = County
|subdivision_name2 = Bosque
|government_footnotes =
|government_type =
|leader_title =
|leader_name =
|established_title =
|established_date =
|unit_pref = Imperial
|area_footnotes =
|area_total_km2 =
|area_land_km2 =
|area_water_km2 =
|population_as_of = 2008 est.
|population_footnotes =
|population_total = 225
|population_density_km2 = auto
|timezone = Central (CST)
|utc_offset = -6
|timezone_DST = CDT
|utc_offset_DST = -5
|elevation_ft = 568
|coordinates = {{coord|32|04|12|N|97|30|04|W|type:city_region:US-TX_source:GNIS-enwiki|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type = ZIP codes
|postal_code = 76652
|area_code = 254
|blank_name = FIPS code
|blank_info =
|blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
|blank1_info = 2805736{{GNIS|2805736}}
|website =
|footnotes =
}}
Kopperl (pronounced KOP-er-ul) is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) in Bosque County, Texas, United States. It lies on the northwestern end of Lake Whitney, and has an estimated population of 225.
History
Kopperl was founded in 1881. Named after Galveston banker and railroad tycoon Moritz Kopperl, the town was established as a regional shipping point along the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway. Its population peaked at 329 in 1904 before declining to 225 by the 1970s, a figure it has maintained fairly consistently since.{{cite web|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hrk17 |title=KOPPERL, TX|author=Karean Yancy|date=15 June 2010|website=tshaonline.org|accessdate=15 September 2017}}
Shortly after midnight on June 15, 1960, a very rare meteorological phenomenon, a heat burst, struck the community when a dying thunderstorm collapsed over Kopperl. The storm had rained itself out, and with little to no precipitation to cool the resulting downdrafts, superheated air descended upon the community in the form of extremely hot wind gusts up to {{convert|75|mph|abbr=on}}. The temperature increased rapidly, reportedly peaking near {{convert|140|F|C}},{{cite web|author=James Spann|url=https://www.alabamawx.com/?p=20008 |title=The Kopperl Heat Burst: The Alabama Weather Blog|publisher=Alabamawx.com|date=2009-06-15|accessdate=2020-07-11}} 20° above the official all-time high for the state of Texas and exceeding the highest official temperature recorded on Earth. The storm, known as "Satan's Storm" by locals, soon became part of local folklore.{{cite news|title=Freak Heat Wave Hits Lake Whitney|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/83053171/?terms=Heat%2Bwave%2Blake%2BWhitney&match=1 |newspaper=The Clifton Record|date=June 17, 1960|accessdate=September 11, 2017}}{{subscription required}}Bills, E. R. Texas Obscurities: Stories of the Peculiar, Exceptional & Nefarious. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2013.{{Cite web |title='Satan's Storm': The day Kopperl, Texas, thought the world was ending |url=https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-texas-el-paso/weather/2022/10/06/satan-s-storm--the-day-kopperl-tx-residents-thought-the-world-was-ending |access-date=2024-07-17 |website=spectrumlocalnews.com |language=en}}
Kopperl was the town described in "Texas Trilogy", a song by Texas native Steve Fromholz and covered by Lyle Lovett.
Demographics
{{US Census population
|2010=
|2020= 164
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census by Decade|website=United States Census Bureau|access-date=}}
1850–1900{{Cite web|title= 1900 Census of Population - Population of Texas By Counties And Minor Civil Divisions |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1900/bulletins/demographic/49-population-tx.pdf|website=United States Census Bureau}} 1910{{Cite web|title= 1910 Census of Population - Supplement for Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1910/abstract/supplement-tx-p1.pdf|website=United States Census Bureau}}
1920{{Cite web|title= 1920 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1920/bulletins/demographics/population-tx-number-of-inhabitants.pdf|website=United States Census Bureau}} 1930{{Cite web|title= 1930 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1930/population-volume-1/03815512v1ch10.pdf|website=United States Census Bureau}} 1940{{Cite web|title= 1940 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1940/population-volume-1/33973538v1ch09.pdf|website=United States Census Bureau}}
1950{{Cite web|title= 1950 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/population-volume-1/vol-01-46.pdf|website=United States Census Bureau}} 1960{{Cite web|title= 1960 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1960/population-volume-1/33255142v1p45ch02.pdf|website=United States Census Bureau}} 1970{{Cite web|title= 1970 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/00496492v1p45s1ch02.pdf|website=United States Census Bureau}}
1980{{Cite web|title= 1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1980/volume-1/texas/1980a_txab-01.pdf|website=United States Census Bureau}} 1990{{Cite web|title=1990 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cph-2/cph-2-45.pdf|website=United States Census Bureau}} 2000{{Cite web|title=2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2003/dec/phc-3-45.pdf|website=United States Census Bureau}}
2010{{Cite web|title=2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/2010/cph-2/cph-2-45.pdf|website=United States Census Bureau}} 2020
}}
Kopperl first appeared as a census designated place in the 2020 U.S. Census.{{Cite web|title=2020 Geography Changes|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/technical-documentation/table-and-geography-changes/2020/geography-changes.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=}}
=2020 census=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Kopperl CDP, Texas – Racial and ethnic composition !Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) !Pop 2020{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Kopperl CDP, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US4839784&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=}} !% 2020 |
| White alone (NH)
|153 |93.29% |
| Black or African American alone (NH)
|0 |0.00% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|0 |0.00% |
| Asian alone (NH)
|0 |0.00% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|0 |0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH)
|0 |0.00% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|5 |3.05% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|6 |3.66% |
| Total
|164 |100.00% |
Education
Kopperl is served by the Kopperl Independent School District.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification, Kopperl has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=668414&cityname=Kopperl,+Texas,+United+States+of+America&units= |title=Kopperl, Texas Köppen Climate Classification|website=Weatherbase.com|accessdate=15 September 2017}}
{{Weather box
|location = Kopperl, U.S.A. (1908-present)
|single line = Yes
|collapsed = yes
|Jan record high F = 90
|Feb record high F = 97
|Mar record high F = 100
|Apr record high F = 103
|May record high F = 107
|Jun record high F = 114
|Jul record high F = 111
|Aug record high F = 112
|Sep record high F = 114
|Oct record high F = 101
|Nov record high F = 93
|Dec record high F = 91
|year record high F =
|Jan high F = 57.5
|Feb high F = 61.3
|Mar high F = 68.5
|Apr high F = 77.3
|May high F = 83.9
|Jun high F = 90.9
|Jul high F = 95.7
|Aug high F = 96.4
|Sep high F = 89.0
|Oct high F = 79.0
|Nov high F = 68.1
|Dec high F = 58.5
|year high C = 25.1
|Jan mean F = 45.1
|Feb mean F = 48.8
|Mar mean F = 55.9
|Apr mean F = 64.8
|May mean F = 72.7
|Jun mean F = 80.0
|Jul mean F = 83.7
|Aug mean F = 84.0
|Sep mean F = 76.9
|Oct mean F = 66.5
|Nov mean F = 55.8
|Dec mean F = 46.3
|year mean C = 18.3
|Jan low F = 32.6
|Feb low F = 36.2
|Mar low F = 43.3
|Apr low F = 52.2
|May low F = 61.6
|Jun low F = 69.1
|Jul low F = 71.7
|Aug low F = 71.7
|Sep low F = 64.8
|Oct low F = 54.1
|Nov low F = 43.5
|Dec low F = 34.1
|year low C = 11.6
|Jan record low F = -3
|Feb record low F = -3
|Mar record low F = 11
|Apr record low F = 18
|May record low F = 35
|Jun record low F = 38
|Jul record low F = 56
|Aug record low F = 51
|Sep record low F = 30
|Oct record low F = 20
|Nov record low F = 15
|Dec record low F = -3
|year record low F =
|Jan precipitation inch = 2.08
|Feb precipitation inch = 2.67
|Mar precipitation inch = 3.17
|Apr precipitation inch = 2.72
|May precipitation inch = 4.32
|Jun precipitation inch = 4.42
|Jul precipitation inch = 2.00
|Aug precipitation inch = 2.26
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.30
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.62
|Nov precipitation inch = 2.61
|Dec precipitation inch = 2.53
|year precipitation inch =
|Jan snow inch = 0.2
|Feb snow inch = 0.1
|Mar snow inch = 0.0
|Apr snow inch = 0.0
|May snow inch = 0.0
|Jun snow inch = 0.0
|Jul snow inch = 0.0
|Aug snow inch = 0.0
|Sep snow inch = 0.0
|Oct snow inch = 0.0
|Nov snow inch = 0.0
|Dec snow inch = 0.1
|year snow inch =
|source 2 = June record high{{cite journal|last=Petricic|first=Dusan|title=It's Raining Eels: A Compendium of Weird Weather|journal=Scientific American Presents|pages=54–55|year=2000|issn=1048-0943}}{{unreliable source?|date=September 2017}}
|date=March 2015
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- Tornadoes, Dark Days, Anomalous Precipitation and Related Weather Phenomena by William Corliss, Catalog of Geophysical Anomalies, 1983
- Extreme Weather; A Guide and Record Book by Christopher C. Burt
- Freaks of the Storm by Randy Cerveny
{{Bosque County, Texas}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Unincorporated communities in Bosque County, Texas
Category:Unincorporated communities in Texas