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Cottondale, Texas

9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1930 and the latest in 1991. It stands in the Bridgeport census division. It lies in ZIP code area 76073. It stands on Pecan Branch. The Survey maps it on the Cottondale quadrangle.

Cottondale within Wise County

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 surveys from 9 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

105 since 2005

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 105 fires within 5 miles of Cottondale between 2005 and 2018, burning about 1,073 acres in total. 1 started naturally. 1 was 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
Debris and open burning52
Missing data/not specified/undetermined29
Equipment and vehicle use19
Arson/incendiarism1
Misuse of fire by a minor1
Recreation and ceremony1
Power generation/transmission/distribution1
Natural1

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
7 September 2013Equipment and vehicle use1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceCR 3672
6 September 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined10 acresTexas A & M Forest Service1951FM 2123
29 September 2014Debris and open burning1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceSPRING VALLEY RD
28 September 2005Misuse of fire by a minor12 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
25 September 2014Debris and open burning1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceSPRING VALLEY CT
2 September 2008Debris and open burning5.0 acresTexas A & M Forest Servicenot named
9 August 2013Debris and open burning1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceCR 3655
8 August 2014Debris and open burning5.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceCR 3791

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Wise County

Storms near this place

40 since 1993

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Cottondale in 40 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 17 hail, 13 thunderstorm wind, 5 flash flood, 4 tornado. The reports record 4 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
May 1994Thunderstorm WindCottondale4 hurt, $500,000At 2.3 miles north of Cottondale one house was destroyed, and at least two mobile homes were destroyed by high winds. Damage was reported to four other mobile homes. A car and a truck were also destroyed. The sheriff's office reported four injuries, one of which was serious.
March 2025Tornado (EF1)Cottondale$750,000Widespread damaging straight-line winds occurred across much of Wise County during the predawn hours of March 4th, 2025. Within this broad wind field, a NWS WFO Fort Worth survey team identified a relatively short track tornado north of the Cottondale community. This tornado formed near the intersection of FM 2123 and FM 3552, where a wood frame residence lost much of its roof and internal rafters. The peak intensity of the tornado was determined from the damage at this residence, with EF-1 intensity winds estimated around 110 mph. The tornado impacted two outbuildings nearby, producing EF-0 roof damage. The tornado moved eastward, roughly paralleling County Road 3470 for at least two miles. Along this path, many larger hardwood trees exhibited limb damage, and a few outbuildings, frame residences, and manufactured homes also exhibited mostly high end EF-0 and low end EF-1 roof and fascia damage. The tornado dissipated near the intersection of County Road 3470 and School House Road.
March 2023Thunderstorm WindCottondale$300,000Sporadic wind damage was reported from southwest of Cottondale to south of Decatur. The damage mostly consisted of tree damage, damage to outbuildings and barns, and power poles.
May 1997Flash FloodCottondale$75,000Roads were washed away and a bridge was washed out by flood waters.
April 2026Thunderstorm WindCottondale$30,000Strong straight line winds affected a rural area of southwest Wise County, west of County Road 3355 and north of County Road 3470. A small neighborhood near Windmill Trail had damage to some roofs, garage doors and windows, as well as scattered tree damage. Across County Road 3470, additional fencing, tree and roof damage occurred along this road. The last damage was some more tree damage near the intersection of County Road 3355 and County Road 3470.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindCottondale$25,000Thunderstorm winds destroyed a trailer and blew down trees.
April 2026Tornado (EF0)Cottondale$20,000A tornado formed near the intersection of Spring Valley Road and Wise County Road 3355. This tornado initially moved south, producing scattered tree, shingle, and outbuilding roof damage consistent with high end EF-0 winds. The tornado crossed FM 2123, just east of its intersection with Wise County Road 3355 in the Cottondale community, and dissipated shortly thereafter. Maximum estimated winds were 80 mph.
February 2022HailCottondale$15,000Hail measuring 2.125 inches was measured between Paradise and Cottondale.
April 2026Thunderstorm WindCottondale$8,000Scattered wind damage to trees and minor damage to homes were reported across the southern portions of Wise County from Cottondale towards Springtown. The damage was consistent with 70-80 mph winds.
April 2026HailCottondale$7,000Amateur radio operator reported 1.75 inch hail southwest of Paradise.
April 2026HailCottondale$7,000Report of 1.75 inch hail from mPING.
May 1994Thunderstorm WindCottondale$5,000Barns were unroofed by high winds.
May 2009Thunderstorm WindCottondale$4,000A trained spotter located 13 miles south of Bridgeport measured 70 mph winds.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindCottondale$2,000Trees were blown down in Cottondale.
July 1995Tornado (F0)Cottondale$2,000A tornado destroyed two outbuildings, damaged a home, snapped trees and killed a cow.
April 1994Thunderstorm WindCottondale$500Trees were damaged by winds estimated at over 60 miles an hour.
March 2026HailCottondale-Amateur radio operator relayed report of 1 inch hail south of Bridgeport.
May 2024HailCottondale-Public reported quarter size hail south of Cottondale.
March 2023Thunderstorm WindCottondale-Sporadic downed trees were reported near Private Road 3496. Time was estimated via radar.
March 2023Thunderstorm WindCottondale-A trained spotter measured a 62 mph wind gust in Cottondale.
April 2020HailCottondale-A social media report indicated quarter sized hail approximately 6 miles southwest of the city of Paradise, TX.
June 2017FloodCottondale-A trained spotter reported water over the roadway with one unoccupied vehicle stuck in high water on CR 3451.
March 2016Flash FloodCottondale-Amateur radio reported a high water rescue on Private Road 3475 near Paradise, TX.
May 2015Flash FloodCottondale-Amateur radio reported a foot of water on the road near FM 3673 and Miller Creek Lake Rd.
October 2014HailCottondale-Amateur radio reported 1 inch diameter hail 5 miles west of Cottondale, TX.
January 2013HailCottondale-Nickel hail was reported in Cottondale, on Wise County Road 3555.
April 2011HailCottondale-Nickel size hail was reported at the intersection of County Roads 3673 and 3661 about 5 miles east of Boonsville.
May 2009HailCottondale-Nickel size hail was reported at Boonsville.
April 2008Tornado (EF0)Cottondale-Spotters observed a tornado between Cottondale and Paradise. No damage was reported.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindCottondale-Measured wind gust to 64 mph.
June 2000Flash FloodCottondale-Heavy thunderstorm rain brought water over F.M. 2123, which was closed at 1230 CST.
May 1997Flash FloodCottondale-Streets were closed due to high water in town.
December 2008HailCottondale-no account filed
March 2001HailCottondale-no account filed
May 1999HailCottondale-no account filed
February 1997Thunderstorm WindCottondale-no account filed
April 1996HailCottondale-no account filed
March 1996HailCottondale-no account filed
April 1994HailCottondale-no account filed
October 1993HailCottondale-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Wise 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
Lucky Ridge2.8 miles9
Draco3.4 miles9
Keeter5.3 miles12
Paradise5.9 miles10
Boyd7.4 miles12
Annaville7.9 miles12
Boonsville8.4 miles9
Balsora8.5 miles9

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 CottondaleAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q48848872The 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 1378164. 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.

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.