Four Corners flooding has forced evacuations and water rescues as the rain-soaked region braced Sunday for more heavy storms. Days of rain have hit Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.
The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for much of the Four Corners, the point where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet, according to CBS News US. The area has had unusually heavy rain since Wednesday, which caused rivers to surge, flood homes and force water rescues, the outlet reported.
The Colorado Department of Transportation said San Juan River flow increased significantly overnight, according to CBS News US. The San Juan River Bridge remained closed Sunday.
In San Juan County, New Mexico, about 4 feet of water flooded the home of Sheriff Shane Ferrari, who said the area’s situation was stable Sunday, according to CBS News US.
County spokesperson Devin Neeley said he was not aware of any loss of life, according to ABC News US. The county had no official numbers on home damage or evacuations.
Neeley said receding floodwaters left mud and silt, much of it contaminated with sewage from waste plant failures, ABC News US reported. He said power could take a few days to restore.
The flooding follows two months of on-and-off heavy rain from tropical moisture coming ashore from the Pacific, after months of drought. Forecasters said El Niño, the natural and temporary warming of parts of the Pacific, was likely to blame for the latest storm’s unusually heavy rainfall, according to CBS News US.
Other recent deadly flooding struck the Grand Canyon and areas of New Mexico, according to CBS News US and ABC News US.
In Farmington, New Mexico, rivers are receding, many people have evacuated and hundreds are without power, but no official count was available. Forecasters were still confirming other twisters in New Mexico, and damage from the Saturday Santa Fe tornado is unknown, according to CBS News US.
Neither source names the Navajo Nation or any Utah community. No response from the National Weather Service or the Colorado Department of Transportation beyond their quoted statements was reported. The key details here rely mainly on CBS News US, and the ABC News US account is a partial excerpt, so official figures on damage, evacuations and outages remain unavailable.
Rain was expected to spread across the central and northern Plains Sunday night, then move toward the Upper Midwest Monday and Tuesday. More roads, streams, canyons and burn scars face a risk of flooding.
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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.