Arizona Colorado flash flooding forced mandatory evacuations on Sunday as heavy rain soaked the US Southwest. According to ABC News US, officials in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, warned of potentially catastrophic flooding, with the San Juan River forecast to crest late Sunday night at levels not seen since 1911.
The Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office said the 1911 flood crested the San Juan River at about 17.8 feet, according to ABC News US. The office also called the current event potentially catastrophic.
Forecasts for the coming crest differ across sources. ABC News US gives a forecast of more than 19 feet around 11 p.m. in one place, more than 20 feet late Sunday in another, and 21.9 feet (6.7 meters) in a later account attributed to a county official. A post on the r/news forum cited an earlier forecast of 19.71 feet around 11 p.m. Sunday, then said the river was rising faster than expected, with a crest possibly as early as 6 p.m. Sunday. No independent confirmation of the final crest height was available.
In Sedona, Arizona, officials ordered residents near Oak Creek to leave immediately as floodwaters rose, according to ABC News US. The outlet reported that multiple people were trapped in their homes.
Gila County ordered the total evacuation of Gisela, a community of several hundred residents along Tonto Creek, more than 100 miles southeast of Sedona, ABC News US reported. The sources did not include a response from Gila County or the National Weather Service on that evacuation.
A flood warning from the National Weather Service is in effect for the Pagosa Springs area through Monday evening, tagged as a Particularly Dangerous Situation, according to the r/news post. The same post said helicopters will be grounded during the worst of the storm and first responders may not reach people in danger until it passes, citing an official message.
The weather service estimates as much as 4 inches of rain could fall across the region, fueled by a series of Pacific storm systems, with the soaking expected through Monday. Aaron Hardin, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Tucson, said the region was getting two or three months of rain in a span of a couple of days.
Pagosa Springs is a town of more than 2,000 in the Rockies, near ski resorts and known for its hot springs. Residents feared the one bridge into town could wash out, but its status has not been reported.
ABC reports no injuries or deaths so far, but that account comes from a single source. A CBS News US item was available only as a headline and short excerpt, and its claim that a super El Niño and a subtropical jet stream are to blame could not be confirmed. Official damage totals for Tucson and Flagstaff were not given.
Rain is expected to saturate the region through Monday. The Pagosa Springs flood warning runs through Monday evening, and the San Juan River is expected to crest Sunday night.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.