River Crests Near Historic Levels in Colorado Town

The San Juan River is forecast to crest at 21.9 feet late Sunday night, a level that exceeds the 17.8-foot high water mark recorded during the 1911 flood that destroyed most of the town of Pagosa Springs.

Officials in the Colorado resort town, which has a population of more than 2,000, issued mandatory evacuation orders for residents in low-lying areas along the San Juan, Rio Blanco, Navajo, and Piedra rivers. By sundown Sunday, the river had already reached approximately 14 feet. All roads in and out of the town were closed to inbound traffic, and a designated shelter was opened at a local church.

Katie German, owner and chef of Bruin Coffee in Pagosa Springs, reported that downtown had been evacuated and street flooding was widespread. She expressed concern that the single bridge into town might wash out, preventing trucks from delivering food and fuel. Town officials had lifted a previous evacuation order last week but reimposed it Saturday as the forecast intensified. Residents were advised to leave immediately and avoid contact with the river after sewage was discharged into it.

The heavy rainfall, which began Saturday evening, triggered mandatory evacuations across a broad swath of the Southwest. In Sedona, Arizona, officials ordered residents near Oak Creek to leave immediately after floodwaters trapped multiple people in their homes. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs stated that state air rescue crews were assisting with rooftop evacuations while transportation crews cleared debris. A video from the Sedona fire department showed floodwaters inundating vehicles and rushing past homes.

Michelle Grimm, a Sedona resident, watched from her home as Oak Creek rose close to the underside of a pedestrian bridge near the center of town. She noted that she had never seen helicopters rescuing people from neighborhoods before. By Sunday afternoon, the rain had largely subsided in the Sedona area.

In nearby Camp Verde, Yavapai County issued evacuation orders for residents living near swollen rivers. More than 100 miles southeast, officials in Gila County ordered the total evacuation of Gisela, a community of several hundred residents along Tonto Creek. In Tucson, located 230 miles south of Sedona, swift boat rescues were conducted in flash flood zones. Aaron Hardin, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said the region is receiving two or three months of rain in a couple of days.

In Flagstaff, continuous rain on Sunday flooded roads and overwhelmed storm drains. Authorities searched for a man who fell into fast-moving floodwaters outside Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and did not resurface. Luke Willson, a witness, said water entered the church basement, garage, and an office with computers. In the Pinetop-Lakeside area, the regional sanitary district reported that manhole covers were popping up and sewage was backing into homes.

The National Weather Service issued flood warnings for nearly all of Arizona, parts of southern Utah, southwestern Colorado, western New Mexico, and part of southern Nevada. The weather service estimates that up to 4 inches of rain could fall across the region through Monday, fueled by a series of Pacific storm systems. In La Plata County, Colorado, west of Pagosa Springs, all public roads were closed due to flooding. Evacuations were also ordered in nearby Durango, where the Animas River is rising quickly.