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Verde River above Clarkdale

Highest listed crest 26.39 ftFlood stage 12.0 ft12 crests since 1966

The Verde River above Clarkdale crested at major flood stage 1 time among the 12 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1966 to 2023. The highest, 26.39 ft on February 20, 1993, was major flooding, 14.39 feet above flood stage. 1 other gauge on the Verde River crested above flood stage within a week of it, 1 at its own highest listed crest.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
26.39 ft
February 20, 1993; 53,200 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
12.0 ft
Major flooding from 20.0 ft
Crests at major
1
12th of 47 gauges in Arizona
Most recent flood crest
March 22, 2023
14.62 ft, minor flooding
Location
Yavapai County
Near Cottonwood (8.4 mi)

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Verde River above Clarkdale
Action stage10.00—The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)12.04Mar 22, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage15.07Mar 15, 2023Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage20.01Feb 20, 1993Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

12 crests from 1966 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Verde River above Clarkdale, 1966 to 2023 1015202530ft Flood stage 12.0 ftMajor 20.0 ft Dec 6, 1966: 15.79 ft, moderate flooding; 22,500 cubic feet per secondFeb 9, 1976: 14.10 ft, minor flooding; 18,000 cubic feet per secondMar 1, 1978: 16.92 ft, moderate flooding; 25,000 cubic feet per secondDec 18, 1978: 14.89 ft, minor flooding; 19,900 cubic feet per secondFeb 15, 1980: 17.92 ft, moderate flooding; 30,100 cubic feet per secondFeb 20, 1993: 26.39 ft, major flooding; 53,200 cubic feet per secondMar 6, 1995: 15.24 ft, moderate flooding; 21,400 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 2005: 17.94 ft, moderate flooding; 27,000 cubic feet per secondAug 1, 2010: 14.01 ft, minor flooding; 16,200 cubic feet per secondAug 19, 2021: 19.31 ft, moderate flooding; 31,443 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 2023: 16.22 ft, moderate flooding; 21,806 cubic feet per secondMar 22, 2023: 14.62 ft, minor flooding; 17,572 cubic feet per second Highest, 26.39 ft, Feb 20, 1993 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Verde River above Clarkdale 1960s: 1 1970s: 3 3 1980s: 1 1990s: 2 2000s: 1 2010s: 1 2020s: 3 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.
  3. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 19.10 ft on Feb 21, 1920.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Verde River above Clarkdale
1Feb 20, 199326.39+14.39Major53,200
2Aug 19, 202119.31+7.31Moderate31,443
3Feb 12, 200517.94+5.94Moderate27,000
4Feb 15, 198017.92+5.92Moderate30,100
5Mar 1, 197816.92+4.92Moderate25,000
6Mar 15, 202316.22+4.22Moderate21,806
7Dec 6, 196615.79+3.79Moderate22,500
8Mar 6, 199515.24+3.24Moderate21,400
9Dec 18, 197814.89+2.89Minor19,900
10Mar 22, 202314.62+2.62Minor17,572
11Feb 9, 197614.10+2.10Minor18,000
12Aug 1, 201014.01+2.01Minor16,200

The worst floods along the Verde River

For this gauge's highest crests, the other gauges on the Verde River that crested above flood stage within a week.

February 20, 1993: 26.39 ft here, major flooding

  • PauldenAZ · Feb 20, 1993 · 14.25 ft · Minor · its highest

Gauges on the Verde River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Verde River
PauldenAZ13.014.25 ft, Feb 20, 19930
Clarkdale this gaugeAZ12.026.39 ft, Feb 20, 19931
Camp VerdeAZ17.019.67 ft, Mar 22, 20230

Other gauges in Yavapai County

Flood gauges in Yavapai County
Rock Springs16.028.05 ft, Jan 21, 20105
Rimrock12.014.35 ft, Sep 5, 19700
Prescott11.011.86 ft, Jan 21, 20100
Prescott11.013.02 ft, Jan 21, 20100
Page Springs near Cornville8.019.15 ft, Feb 20, 19931
Paulden13.014.25 ft, Feb 20, 19930
Camp Verde17.019.67 ft, Mar 22, 20230
Rimrock9.517.21 ft, Jan 8, 19938

Yavapai County: every hazard · River floods across the country · Arizona

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge VDCA3, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.