Flash flooding triggers evacuations in Southwest and dire warning for
Colorado spa town
[November 02, 2026]
By PHILIP MARCELO, MICHAEL CASEY and CHRISTOPHER WEBER
Heavy rainfall produced flash flooding and mandatory evacuations in a
swath of the Southwest on Sunday, including in a Colorado tourist town
bracing for its main river to rise to historic levels, as weary
residents in the normally arid region deal with another massive
drenching.
Officials in Pagosa Springs, a town of more than 2,000 in the Rockies
located near ski resorts and known for its hot springs, warned of
potentially “catastrophic flooding” as the San Juan River was forecast
to crest at more than 20 feet (6.1 meters) late Sunday night.
“To put the forecast into perspective, during the devastating 1911 flood
that wiped out most of what existed as the town of Pagosa at that time,
the San Juan River crested at approximately 17.8 feet (5.4 meters),” the
Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. “This is a
potentially catastrophic flood event.”
By sundown Sunday, the river's crest had reached about 14 feet (4.2
meters), according to Vicky Schaffer, a spokesperson for the county.
Roads in and out of the town were closed and residents who weren't under
evacuation orders were urged to stay home.
Communities in northern New Mexico and central Arizona, meanwhile, also
issued mandatory evacuations while the rains forced the closure of
several highways.
In the picturesque town of Sedona, Arizona, officials ordered residents
near Oak Creek to leave immediately as floodwaters trapped multiple
people in their homes.
Arizona expects months’ worth of rain in a couple of days
Nearby Yavapai County and the community of Camp Verde issued similar
evacuation orders for residents living near swollen rivers and creeks.
More than 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Sedona, officials in
Gila County ordered the total evacuation of Gisela, a community of
several hundred residents along Tonto Creek. The wet conditions even
produced flash floods, river flooding and swift boat rescues in Tucson,
some 230 miles (370 kilometers) south of Sedona.
“We are getting two or three months of rain in a span of a couple of
days,” said Aaron Hardin, a meteorologist with the National Weather
Service in Tucson.
Rain fell nearly nonstop Sunday in Flagstaff, Arizona, flooding local
roads and overwhelming storm drains. Authorities were searching for a
man who slipped and fell into fast-moving floodwaters “and was not seen
resurfacing,” according to a police statement Sunday evening.
Outside Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, people filled plastic bags with
sand to try to prevent further flooding inside. Luke Willson said water
got into the garage, the basement and underneath the church building, as
well as in an office where the computers are. “The pumps are pumping,
but they’re not pumping fast enough,” he said.
To the southeast, in the Pinetop-Lakeside area of central Arizona,
“manhole covers are popping up all over” and residents reported sewage
backing up into homes because of flooding, the region's sanitary
district said in a statement.
The latest round of soaking rains started Saturday evening and was
expected to saturate the region through Monday. The weather service
estimates as much as 4 inches (10 centimeters) of rain could fall across
the region, fueled by a series of Pacific storm systems.
The weather service issued flood warnings and watches for nearly all of
Arizona and parts of southern Utah, southwestern Colorado and western
New Mexico, in addition to part of southern Nevada. That includes the
sparsely populated Four Corners region where the states meet.
The weather service office for Salt Lake City said previous storms
already soaked places like Zion and Capitol Reef National Parks, warning
that could worsen flooding and “backcountry roads will likely become
impassable from this excessive runoff.”
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Members of the Tucson Fire Department's Technical Rescue Team rescue
a woman from her car after it became stuck in a flooded wash in
Tucson, Ariz., Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (Mason Kumet/Arizona Luminaria
via AP)
Roads into Colorado tourist town closed
Officials in Pagosa Springs said anyone in low-lying areas along the
San Juan, Rio Blanco, Navajo and Piedra rivers should head to a
designated shelter at a local church.
They advised residents not to wait to leave their homes as emergency
crews may be extremely limited during the worst of the storm. The
highway entering town also was closed to inbound traffic, and
residents were advised to avoid contact with the San Juan River
after sewage was discharged into it.
Katie German, owner and chef of Bruin Coffee in Pagosa Springs, said
downtown had been evacuated and that there was street flooding.
German said she was most worried about the one bridge into town
washing out and trucks carrying everything from food to fuel not
having a way in.
Town officials had just lifted an evacuation order from flooding
last week only to reimpose it Saturday with the San Juan forecast to
crest Sunday night at 21.9 feet (6.7 meters).
“I’m worried about my business, worried about my employees,
definitely worried for everybody in this town,” German said.
Officials in La Plata County, west of Pagosa Springs, said all
public roads were closed due to the flooding.
Evacuations were also ordered in nearby Durango, Colorado, where the
Animas River was rising quickly.
Sedona officials rescue residents trapped in homes
In Sedona, longtime resident Michelle Grimm worried about her
community after viewing the rushing waters of Oak Creek rising
perilously close to the underside of a pedestrian bridge near the
center of town.
“I went out at eight this morning and I saw the bridge and I was
like, ‘Oh, we’re in trouble,’” she said as she sheltered in place in
her home Sunday.
“I’ve never seen them rescuing people with helicopters out of
neighborhoods,” Grimm said.
A video shared by the Sedona fire department showed powerful
floodwaters inundating vehicles and rushing past homes and other
structures. Other videos and photos shared on social media showed
people standing on a pedestrian bridge taking photos and videos as
churning, brown waters rushed underneath.
By Sunday afternoon, the drenching rains had largely subsided in the
Sedona area.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said state air rescue crews were assisting
with rooftop evacuations and state transportation crews were helping
clear debris.
No injuries or deaths had so far been reported, and nearly 20 homes
had residents who needed emergency assistance to relocate, said
David McAtee, spokesperson for Yavapai County.
—-
Marcelo reported from New York; Casey from Boston; and Weber from
Los Angeles.
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