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Cordes, Arizona

30 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1887 and the latest in 1981. It stands in the Congress census division. It lies in ZIP code area 86333. It stands on Cordes Peak. The Survey maps it on the Cleator quadrangle. It stands 3,763 feet above sea level.

Cordes within Yavapai County

Topographic sheets covering this place

14 surveys from 30 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

186 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 186 fires within 5 miles of Cordes between 1992 and 2020, burning about 3,091 acres in total. 13 started naturally. 4 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/undetermined127
Equipment and vehicle use31
Natural13
Arson/incendiarism4
Power generation/transmission/distribution3
Firearms and explosives use3
Smoking2
Debris and open burning2
Recreation and ceremony1

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
4 September 2007Equipment and vehicle useunder an acrePhoenix District OfficeCACTUS
30 September 1995Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acrePhoenix District OfficeBASIN
3 September 2001Equipment and vehicle use1.0 acresPhoenix District OfficeHORSESHOE
17 September 1993Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acrePhoenix District OfficeDOUBLE 2
17 September 1993Arson/incendiarism1.0 acresPhoenix District OfficeDOUBLE
17 September 1993Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreArizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management - State Officenot named
13 September 2019Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMayer Fire DistrictNOT NAMED
13 September 2019Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMayer Fire DistrictNOT NAMED

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Yavapai County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 58 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 58 workings within 5 miles of Cordes: 22 prospects, 20 past producers, 10 producers, 5 occurrences. 10 still produce. What was taken out: Gold, Copper, Gold, Silver, Lead, Silver. 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
Blue Bell Magnetite-HematiteIron, Manganese, Titanium, Silica, Phosphorus-PhosphatesOccurrence
Blue Bell MineCopper, Silver, Gold, Lead, Zinc, ArsenicPast Producer1895, 1896, 1959
Blue Bell Mine and QuarryStone, Dimension, Copper, Silver, Gold, Iron, SilicaPast Producer
Brooks MineLead, Gold, Silver, Copper, ZincProducer1877, 1915, 1922
French LillyCopper, Lead, Silver, Zinc, GoldPast Producer
French Lily MineGold, Copper, Lead, Zinc, Silver, ArsenicProducer1902, 1959
Golden BeltGold, Silver, Iron, LeadPast Producer
Golden Turkey MineGold, Silver, Lead, Copper, ZincPast Producer1900, 1923, 1949
Hidden Treasure MineGold, Silver, Lead, Zinc, CopperPast Producer1925
Irle ClaimsLead, Copper, Silver, Barium-BariteProspect

Every working recorded in Yavapai County

Storms near this place

37 since 1999

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Cordes in 37 storm reports between 1999 and 2025: 22 flash flood, 9 heavy rain, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. The reports record 1 death. 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
November 2025Flash FloodCordes1 killedLaw enforcement reported a car with 2 men trapped in floodwaters in Big Bug Creek at Cordes Lakes. One man was rescued while the other was swept away. The vehicle was later found lodged against a tree about 2 miles from the point of entry into the water. The second occupant was found deceased two days later at the confluence of Big Bug Creek with the Agua Fria River, about 6 miles from where he and his vehicle were last seen.
September 2019Thunderstorm WindCordes$500,000Approximately 20 mobile homes were damaged by very strong thunderstorm winds. One home was so damaged that it was no longer habitable. Four homes suffered moderate damage. Power poles were snapped off with many with out power. Close to 100 trees were damaged as well.
August 2025Flash FloodCordes-The USGS river gauge on the Agua Fria River near Cordes Lakes (AFMA3) reported a 2 foot rise (117 cfs) in 15 minutes due to heavy rainfall along Big Bug Creek.
July 2025Flash FloodCordes-A USGS river gauge on the Agua Fria River at Cordes Lakes reported at 5.9 foot rise in 45 minutes from thunderstorms upstream along Big Bug Creek.
July 2025Flash FloodCordes-A Yavapai County river gauge on the Agua Fria River at Kelton Ranch reported a 6.3 foot rise in 15 minutes. Peak flow was 9,515 cubic feet per second.
July 2025Flash FloodCordes-Yavapai County Sheriff's Office reported a bridge in Spring Valley was impassable with water flowing over the road. A car was also stranded on the bridge.
July 2025Flash FloodCordes-Public sent via social media a video of a flash flood along Big Bug Creek. The person posting the video said it was the highest flow since 2021.
August 2025Flash FloodCordes-A Yavapai County ALERT gauge on the Agua Fria River at Kelton Ranch reported a 2.7 foot rise in 15 minutes from heavy rainfall in Big Bug Creek.
September 2025Flash FloodCordes-A trained spotter reported a water rise greater than 4 feet in normally dry Big Bug Creek.
September 2025Flash FloodCordes-The Agua Fria below Ash Creek county river gauge (54897) measured a 3.75 foot rise between 5:00 pm and 5:50 pm MST with a peak streamflow of 3,354 cfs.
September 2022Flash FloodCordes-The Agua Fria River rose 4 feet near Cordes Junction. This is normally dry.
August 2022Flash FloodCordes-The steam gauge on Agua Fria River near Cordes Junction showed a 3.47 foot rise.
August 2022Flash FloodCordes-Heavy rain from thunderstorms caused major flash flooding of roads and homes in Spring Valley on Hackberry Creek. Flash flooding in Mayer caused threatened the town water supply infrastructure.
August 2022Flash FloodCordes-The Aqua Fria-Mayer river gauge measured a two foot rise.
July 2022Thunderstorm WindCordes-A wind gust of 58 MPH was reported in Spring Valley at 415 PM. There was damage to a shed roof and lawn structure as well as a tree was blown down.
September 2021Flash FloodCordes-A 3.9 foot rise was recorded on the Agua Fria River (AFMA3) east of Cordes Junction.
August 2020HailCordes-A trained spotter reported one inch diameter hail just north of Cordes Junction.
September 2019Heavy RainCordes-Street flooding was reported in Cordes Lakes due to the heavy rain in the area. Streets had water 6 inches deep at 500 AM.
August 2019Flash FloodCordes-Heavy rain from a thunderstorm produced flash flooding in the Agua Fria River near Poland Junction. A river gauge reported a 2.27 foot rise from 5:15PM MST to 7:00PM MST.
August 2018Flash FloodCordes-The Agua Fria gauge (up stream from Big Bug Creek/Goodwin Fire scar) rose 3.6 feet in 70 minutes.
July 2018Flash FloodCordes-Big Bug Creek experienced flash flood conditions during the mid-afternoon which lasted for approximately two hours. Water rose out the banks and flooded East Antelope Road. Much of the rain fell over the Goodwin Fire scar. Winds also gusted up to 45 MPH between 315 and 415 PM MST. The flood waters continued on down the Agua Fria Wash for another 6 to 9 hours. This water eventually flowed into Black Canyon Creek near Black Canyon City. The Agua Fria River gauge at Old Black Canyon City Highway showed a rapid rise of 2.2 feet at 230 AM on July 16.
October 2018Flash FloodCordes-The stream gauge along Agua Fria River east of Cordes Junction recorded a rise of 3.5 feet in three hours.
August 2017Flash FloodCordes-A thunderstorm produced heavy rain over the Goodwin Fire scar that caused flash flooding on the Agua Fria River. The stream gauge went from 1 foot to 4.91 feet during the flash flood.
June 2016Heavy RainCordes-An inch and a half of rain caused Big Bug Creek to flow about 2 feet from the top of the bridge.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindCordes-A spotter reported thunderstorm wind gust between 60 and 70 MPH with pea sized hail.
July 2016HailCordes-A spotter near Spring Valley north of Cordes Junction reported one inch diameter hail.
October 2015Heavy RainCordes-The Agua Fria RAWS reported 1.18 inches of rain.
July 2014Heavy RainCordes-Thunderstorms produced 0.95 inches of rain in an hour an a half. Low water crossings were flooded.
August 2014Heavy RainCordes-Heavy rain caused water to flow over the road at Big Bug Creek. A spotter recorded 1.76 inches of rain.
August 2014Heavy RainCordes-A weather spotter reported 1.39 inches of rain in less than 45 minutes.
August 2014Heavy RainCordes-A spotter 3 miles north of Cleator reported just over three inches of rain and flooded washes.
July 2012Flash FloodCordes-A trained spotter reported heavy flows though Dripping Springs and Turkey Creek. It was the worst flooding in eight and a half years.
July 2012Heavy RainCordes-A trained spotter reported 5.47 inches of rain in 14 hours about ten miles southwest of Cordes.
January 2010Flash FloodCordes-A family of four partially crossed the bed of the Agua Fria River in a truck (SUV) when flash flooding occurred. They became stuck in the flood waters. A swift water rescue was in possible and a helicopter could not be dispatched due to the weather conditions. The 6 year old boy was subsequently swept downstream and drown.
October 2000Funnel CloudCordes-Arizona Department of Transportation(ADOT)officials reported a funnel cloud near Cordes Junction. The thunderstrom that produced the funnel cloud also produced strong wind that tipped over a tool shed at the ADOT facility in Cordes Junction.
July 1999Flash FloodCordes-The normally low flowing Big Bug Creek rose to bank full levels at Cordes Junction after an estimated 2 to 4 inches of rain fell in a two hour period in the upper basin.
July 2002Heavy RainCordes-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Yavapai 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
Spring Valley2.9 miles30
Cordes Junction3.2 miles30
Cordes Lakes3.4 miles30
Cleator3.9 miles30
Arcosanti4.4 miles30
Ocotillo4.6 miles30
Bumble Bee7.1 miles31
Mayer7.5 miles29

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 CordesAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2997119The 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 27940. 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.