Second historic flood threatens Pagosa Springs as San Juan River forecast to shatter 1911 record
A week after flooding destroyed roads and bridges, forecasters warn Colorado's San Juan River could crest more than 4 feet above its historic 1911 peak, forcing new mass evacuations across the Southwest.
What to know
- The San Juan River at Pagosa Springs is forecast to rise to 21.84 feet, more than 4 feet above the historic 1911 flood that destroyed much of the town.
- This is the second major flood event in a week; the prior storm damaged about 540 homes and left 150 miles of roadway impassable.
- More than 1,000 Archuleta County homes are under mandatory evacuation, with additional orders in San Juan and Conejos counties, Colorado, and near Oak Creek in Sedona, Arizona.
- Saturated ground across the Southwest is increasing flash-flood risk even from moderate rainfall, with Arizona expected to receive two to three months' worth of rain in a matter of days.
“People have been mostly compliant because I do think they understand. And given the fact that we had a significant event last year, we do have the benefit of hindsight, at least for significantly high floodwaters.”
Mike Le Roux, Archuleta County Sheriff · Colorado Sun ↗ · Oct 31
Mike Le Roux Archuleta County SheriffCharles Balke Incident commander, flood response teamBrooke Scholtens NWS meteorologist, Grand Junction officeAllison Santorelli NWS meteorologist, Weather Prediction CenterArchuleta County Sheriff's Office Local emergency authority
How it unfolded 7 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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AP issues dire warning for Pagosa Springs as flooding continues
Updated AP coverage described a dire warning for the Colorado spa town of Pagosa Springs as flash flooding persisted across the Southwest region.
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first by AP News, 6d ago · also KSL News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Boston Globe, ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos, Toronto Star, Yahoo +3
5 more headlines
- Flash floods trigger evacuations in Arizona and Colorado amid heavy rains in southwest KSL News · 6d ago
- Flash flooding prompts mandatory evacuations in southwest Yahoo · 6d ago
- Flash flooding triggers evacuations in Southwest and a dire warning for Colorado spa town WBAL-TV · 6d ago
- Flash flooding triggers evacuations in Southwest and dire warning for tony Colorado town NY Post · 6d ago
- Flash flooding triggers evacuations in Southwest and a dire warning for a Colorado spa town PBS · 5d ago
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Millions are in danger as a flash flood emergency unfolds across the Southwest. Raging water swept through communities from Arizona to Colorado, triggering mandatory evacuations and shutting down highways.
2 more of the top 3 · 6 posts in this stretch
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Extreme flash flooding triggers evacuations in the Southwest and a dire warning for a Colorado spa town
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# SevereWeather # Flooding # AZwx # NMwx # COwx From AP News.com: Flash flooding triggers evacuations in Southwest and dire warning for Colorado spa town https:// apnews.com/article/sedona-ariz ona-pagosa-springs-colorado-southwest-flooding-bb4bb89daf78484fb97496dfd88c4a10?utm_source=app&utm_medium=iOS_share&utm_campaign=more_org_joinmastodon_app_s…
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APArizona facing two to three months of rain in days
The Associated Press reported that flash flooding had triggered mandatory evacuation orders across Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico, with a meteorologist noting Arizona would get roughly two to three months' worth of rain in a couple of days.
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first by Santa Fe New Mexican, 7d ago
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River rises faster than forecast, could crest hours early
The San Juan River through Pagosa Springs was rising faster than anticipated and was projected to crest as early as 6 p.m.—five hours earlier than expected—at up to 19.71 feet.
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The San Juan River, which flows through Pagosa Springs, is rising faster than anticipated and could crest as early as 6 p.m., five hours earlier than expected, at a height of up to 19.71 feet. https:// coloradosun.com/2026/11/01/ano ther-storm-southwest-colorado-flooding-evacuations/
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Sedona, Arizona orders immediate evacuations near Oak Creek
Rising floodwaters near Oak Creek in Sedona prompted officials to order residents to leave immediately, with multiple people reported trapped in their homes.
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Forecast revised: San Juan River could top 1911 record by 4 feet
A new forecast put the San Juan River's crest at 21.84 feet, more than 4 feet above the 1911 flood that wiped out much of Pagosa Springs; more than 1,000 Archuleta County homes were under mandatory evacuation, and San Juan County ordered evacuations near the La Plata, San Juan and Animas rivers.
“We can do a lot of door-to-door knocking and try to make contact with as many people as possible. But we can't guarantee that once people left, that they did not go back into their home.”
— Sheriff Mike Le Roux, Archuleta County -
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Archuleta County, Colorado orders evacuations ahead of second flood
Officials urged residents to evacuate Saturday as the San Juan River was forecast to crest at 16.9 feet, nearly 2 feet higher than the prior week's flood that damaged about 540 homes and left 150 miles of roadway impassable.
“Those who have chosen not to evacuate should expect higher water levels than last week and must be prepared to safely shelter in place for the duration of the storm…”
— Archuleta County Sheriff's Office -
first by The New York Times, 7d ago · also Colorado Public Radio, Denver7
2 more headlines
- Mandatory evacuations in southwestern Colorado as storms bring another round of historic flooding Colorado Public Radio · 7d ago
- Mandatory evacuation orders issued as historic flooding expected in southwest Colorado Denver7 · 7d ago
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first by Denver Post, 7d ago
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NWS issues flood watches across saturated Southwest
The National Weather Service warned of flash flooding risk across nearly all of Arizona, southern Utah, southwestern Colorado and western New Mexico as a new storm approached already-saturated ground; rescues had already occurred in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Henderson, Nevada.
“It's not going to take much rainfall to be impactful at all in some of these locations just because of how saturated they are…”
— Allison Santorelli, NWS meteorologist -
4 outlets Heavy rains expected to bring flooding risk to already saturated parts of the U.S. Southwest
first by NBC News, 7d ago · also Philadelphia Inquirer, AP News, The Spec
1 more headline
- Heavy rains expected to bring flooding risk to already saturated parts of the US Southwest Philadelphia Inquirer · 7d ago
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first by KOAT, 6d ago
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Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet
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first by Guardian, 6d ago · also Denver Post, Guardian US
1 more headline
- Here’s how southwest Colorado can vote amid historic floods Denver Post · 5d ago
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2 outlets Another potentially catastrophic storm threatens southwestern Colorado, prompting evacuations
first by Mastodon, 7d ago · also Colorado Sun
and 6 smaller pieces
What people are saying 3 voices from 3 sites · best of 7 · verbatim
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🇺🇸 Flash floods are tearing through the U.S. Southwest, and millions of people are now under threat Fast-moving water has hit towns from Arizona all the way up to Colorado, forcing people out of their homes and shutting down highways. The same storms that flooded Las Vegas over
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We are technically evacuated in Durango, but my house is higher than the flood and we are hosting for neighbors. The water here is insane. Was throwing sandbags all night. Ugggh!
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From AP: Heavy rain triggers flash flooding and evacuations across the US Southwest https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=ZbzqNVFyyz o&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon * VSN-GDPM c1996 # news # SupportIndependentMedia # vsn