BlockWaddell, Arizona
18 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1988. It stands in the Phoenix census division. It lies in ZIP code area 85388. The Survey maps it on the Waddell quadrangle. It stands 1,253 feet above sea level.
Topographic sheets covering this place
9 surveys from 18 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.
- 1954 USGS Phoenix quadrangle1:250000, 5 printings
- 1957 USGS Phoenix quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Waddell quadrangle1:24000, 4 printings
- 1958 USGS Phoenix quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Phoenix quadrangle1:250000
- 1969 USGS Phoenix quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1971 USGS Phoenix quadrangle1:250000
- 1971 USGS Waddell quadrangle1:24000
- 1988 USGS Phoenix North quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
266 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 266 fires within 5 miles of Waddell between 1992 and 2020, burning about 376 acres in total. 1 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/undetermined | 255 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 4 |
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Natural | 1 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Smoking | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management - State Office | AZ-111961 |
| 4 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management - State Office | AZ-111960 |
| 27 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management - State Office | AZ-111966 |
| 24 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management - State Office | 155164 |
| 21 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management - State Office | AZ-111965 |
| 19 September 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Surprise Fire Department | not named |
| 19 September 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management - State Office | AZ-142267 |
| 16 September 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Arizona Fire and Medical Authority | 8344012 |
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 Waddell: 1 unknown, 1 past producer. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Manganese. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maricopa Group | Manganese | Past Producer | 1915 | |
| Quarry | Stone | Unknown |
Storms near this place
21 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Waddell in 21 storm reports between 1996 and 2022: 11 thunderstorm wind, 4 flash flood, 3 heavy rain, 3 hail. The reports record 2 injuries. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2003 | Flash Flood | Waddell | 2 hurt | no account filed |
| August 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waddell | $75,000 | A large cluster of very strong thunderstorms moved steadily to the north across the western portion of the greater Phoenix area during the evening hours on August 2nd. Some of the storms affected homes from the town of Surprise westward past the Loop 303 highway. The more intense thunderstorms generated damaging outflow winds; according to a public report gusty microburst winds estimated to be at least 70 mph in strength generated minor to moderate roof damage to many houses in a subdivision located north of Bell Road and west of the Loop 303. The homes were located just to the southeast of Arizona Traditions Golf Club. |
| August 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waddell | $75,000 | On August 28th, thunderstorms developed during the evening hours across the western portions of the greater Phoenix area, affecting communities such as Waddell, El Mirage and Luke Air Force Base. Due to the very unstable nature of the atmosphere, the stronger storms produced damaging wind gusts estimated to be at least 75 mph. At 1945MST, a trained weather spotter about 2 miles northwest of Waddell reported that dozens of trees were blown down with diameters as high as 3 feet. Shortly thereafter, a trained spotter 2 miles southwest of Luke AFB reported power poles blown down near Loop 303 and Bethany Home Road. Another trained spotter 2 miles northwest of Waddell reported that 7 to 8 eucalyptus trees were blown down. These trees were approximately 60 feet tall with diameters of 2 feet. Finally, at 2037MST a report was received via amatuer radio regarding large and mature Mesquite trees that were blown down 2 miles northwest of El Mirage. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for the Luke and Waddell area, starting at 1923MST and continuing in effect through 2015MST. |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waddell | $10,000 | Numerous reports of downed trees, including some falling on vehicles, across the Surprise Farms Neighborhood in Surprise. Some of the areas that saw the downed trees include 175th Ave and Greenway, Bell Road near Loop 303, and in the intersection of West Sierra Montana Loop and North Verde Vista Drive. Timing estimated from radar. No injuries were reported. |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waddell | $10,000 | A semi-truck overturned on Cactus Road between Sarival Avenue and Reems Road. First responders reported the incident was believed to have been due to strong winds and exacerbated by the wet road. Winds were estimated around 45-55 mph based on radar. Timing estimated from radar. No injuries were reported. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waddell | $10,000 | Scattered thunderstorms developed over western portions of the greater Phoenix area during the late afternoon hours on July 11th and some of them affected the areas around the community of Surprise. The stronger storms produced gusty and damaging outflow winds estimated to be in excess of 50 mph. According to a storm chaser located west of Surprise and northwest of Luke Air Force Base, gusty winds estimated to be 60 mph or higher downed a number of trees near the intersection of Bell Road and the Loop 303 highway. No injuries were reported as a result of the wind damage. |
| May 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waddell | $5,000 | Scattered showers and embedded thunderstorms developed across portions of the greater Phoenix area during the morning hours on March 10th and they affected communities such as Waddell and Surprise. Some of the stronger storms generated wind gusts upwards of 45 mph; according to a report from the public, at 0730MST the gusty winds snapped several trees in the area about 1 mile northeast of Waddell. Pictures of the snapped trees were displayed in social media posts. A nearby weather station measured a wind gust to 45 mph at the time of the tree damage. No injuries were reported. |
| August 2018 | Heavy Rain | Waddell | $5,000 | A cluster of very strong thunderstorms moved steadily north across the western portion of the greater Phoenix area during the evening hours on August 2nd. Some of the stronger storms produced intense rainfall with peak rain rates well in excess of one inch per hour. The heavy rains led to local street flooding west of Surprise and near Sun City West, especially along Bell Road. According to a trained weather spotter, at 1915MST very heavy rain was measured along Bell Road just to the east of the Loop 303 highway. 2.05 inches of rain was measured in the area. Downbursts accompanied the heavy rain which caused trees in the area to be downed. Heavy rain led to street flooding and the Surprise Police Department closed Sunrise Boulevard at Bell Road due to water across the road. An Urban and Small Stream Flood Advisory was issued for the area at 1934MST and it remained in effect until 2230MST. There were other heavy rain reports in the area, based on CocoRAHS weather station observations. One such station to the southeast of the Loop 303 and Bell Road intersection measured 1.18 inches of rain. The most significant report came from another CocoRAHS station in Surprise that measured a storm total rainfall of 2.90 inches. The station ID was AZ-MR-42. There were no flash flooding reports in Surprise, despite the very heavy rainfall that occurred. |
| August 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waddell | $4,000 | A cluster of very strong thunderstorms moved steadily north and across the western portion of the greater Phoenix area during the evening hours on August 2nd. Some of the more intense storms produced gusty and damaging outflow winds that affected communities such as Waddell and Surprise. According to a report from the public, about 2 miles northwest of Waddell and just west of Surprise, strong outflow winds downed several trees and cracked the window in one of the homes in the area. Wind gusts were estimated to be as high as 65 mph. No injuries were reported. |
| August 2018 | Hail | Waddell | $2,000 | A cluster of strong thunderstorms moved steadily north across the western portion of the greater Phoenix area during the evening hours on August 2nd. Some of the stronger storms generated large hail in addition to intense rainfall. According to a report received from the public, large hail fell about 3 miles northwest of Waddell, near the intersection of Cotton Road and Bell Road, just west of the Loop 303 highway. At least one of the hailstones had a diameter measured to be 0.88 inches. At the same time of the hail, a downburst occurred that blew down 2 trees. |
| October 2018 | Flash Flood | Waddell | $2,000 | Widespread moderate to heavy showers developed across the west and northwest portions of the greater Phoenix metropolitan area during the morning and early afternoon hours on October 13th. The showers affected communities such as Surprise and Beardsley. Peak rain rates were in excess of one inch per hour and resulted in episodes of flash flooding. According to the City of Surprise Emergency Manager, at 1230MST flash flooding 8 miles west of Beardsley resulted in the closure of 219th Avenue north of Sun Valley Parkway. The flooding was north of the White Tank Mountains and west of Surprise and the Loop 303 highway. A Flash Flood Warning was in effect at the time of the flooding and there were no reports of accidents. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waddell | $2,000 | Thunderstorms in the greater Phoenix area produced strong and damaging wind gusts during the evening hours on August 3rd. A trained weather spotter reported that a large mesquite tree was downed near the 303 and Greenway road. Wind gusts were estimated to be in excess of 50 knots. |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waddell | $500 | Several small trees were knocked over near Reems Road and Cactus Road. Timing estimated from radar. No injuries were reported. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waddell | $500 | Thunderstorms with strong gusty outflow winds moved through the western portion of the greater Phoenix area during the evening hours on July 30th. Some storms affected the area around Surprise and Waddell. At 2004MST, a trained spotter 2 miles north of Waddell and near the intersection of the Loop 303 and Bell road reported that gusty winds to 60 mph had blown the limbs off of some trees in the area. The damaged tree limbs were about 3 to 4 inches in diameter. The trees were not actually downed themselves according to the spotter. |
| October 2022 | Hail | Waddell | - | Hail of the size of nickels was reported along North 183rd Avenue in Surprise. Timing estimated from radar. No damages or injuries were reported. |
| July 2021 | Flash Flood | Waddell | - | A trained weather spotter reported 4-6 inches of running water over the road near Legacy Park Boulevard and Mauna Loa Lane. No damage or injuries were reported. |
| July 2021 | Flash Flood | Waddell | - | City of Surprise closed Cactus Road between Sarival Avenue and Reems Road due to flooding. A semi-truck overturned on Cactus Road around this time, believed by first responders to be due to wind and possibly exacerbated by the water on the road. No damages or injuries reported. |
| August 2018 | Hail | Waddell | - | A cluster of strong thunderstorms moved north across the western portion of the greater Phoenix area during the evening hours on August 2nd. A few of the more intense storms generated large hail and affected areas west of the Loop 303 highway and along Bell Road. According to a trained spotter, large hail was measured about 4 miles northwest of Waddell, to the west of the Loop 303 highway and along Bell Road. The hailstones had a diameter of around one inch. No damaged was reported due to the large hail. |
| August 2014 | Heavy Rain | Waddell | - | Showers and thunderstorms developed across the western and northern portions of the greater Phoenix metropolitan area after 0600MST, and they continued to intensify and move northeast into the mid morning hours on August 12th. The stronger storms produced locally heavy rain with rainfall rates between one and two inches per hour. The rain led to significant urban flooding; at 0712MST a west valley trained spotter 5 miles southwest of Beardsley measured 1.38 inches of rain within 35 minutes. He indicated that significant ponding was occurring on area roads. At 0647MST another trained spotter 2 miles northeast of Sun City West estimated one inch of rain in about one hour. |
| July 2012 | Heavy Rain | Waddell | - | Scattered showers and thunderstorms containing locally heavy rainfall developed across south central Arizona during the morning hours on July 4th, and they affected the greater Phoenix area. A trained weather spotter in Surprise, near the intersection of Greenway and Reems roads, indicated that approximately 1.5 inches of rain fell between 1115 am and 1230 pm. Nearly three quarters of an inch fell in 45 minutes, and the heavy rain flooded their yard. |
| July 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Waddell | - | 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 Waddell | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q7958961 | 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 24677. 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.