Torrential rain triggered flash floods and mandatory evacuations across a broad stretch of the Southwest on Sunday, leaving residents of the region’s typically dry communities facing yet another major deluge.
In Pagosa Springs, a Colorado town of more than 2,000 people in the Rockies, residents prepared for the San Juan River to reach potentially historic levels. The community is near several ski resorts and is known for its natural hot springs.
Town officials warned in a Facebook post that the San Juan could crest above 20 feet late Sunday, raising the threat of “catastrophic flooding.”
“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,” the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office said in a separate Facebook post. “This is a potentially catastrophic flood event.”
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued in communities throughout Arizona.
The situation became potentially deadly in Flagstaff on Sunday evening when emergency crews began searching for a man who disappeared beneath fast-moving floodwater.
Police and firefighters were sent to South Malpais Lane and West Clay Avenue shortly before 6 p.m. after receiving reports that a man had lost his footing near rushing water, fallen in and failed to resurface.
The Flagstaff Police and Fire departments deployed all available resources and urged the public to stay clear of the area while the search continued.
A woman is rescued by members of the Tucson Fire Department on Sunday
A man uses a bottle to remove rainwater from his car after becoming stranded on a flooded street in Tucson, Arizona
Several bridges were closed because officials feared they could be washed away
In Sedona, a popular Arizona tourist destination, officials ordered people living near Oak Creek to evacuate immediately as floodwaters climbed and several residents became trapped inside their homes.
Yavapai County and the nearby community of Camp Verde issued similar evacuation orders for people living near swollen rivers and creeks.
More than 100 miles southeast of Sedona, Gila County officials ordered the complete evacuation of Gisela, a small community of several hundred people along Tonto Creek.
In Tucson, about 230 miles south of Sedona, the relentless rain caused flash flooding, overflowing rivers and a wave of swift-water rescues.
“We are getting two or three months of rain in a span of a couple of days,” said Aaron Hardin, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Tucson.
By 3 p.m. Sunday, emergency crews had carried out at least 16 river rescues across Pima County as rising water overwhelmed roads and stranded motorists.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Office said so many roads had closed that it could not provide a complete list. Authorities warned drivers never to attempt to cross flooded streets, repeating the message: “Turn Around, Don’t Drown!”
The latest wave of heavy rain began Saturday evening and was expected to continue soaking the region through Monday.
An aerial view shows extensive flooding in Flagstaff, Arizona, on Sunday
Members of the Tucson Fire Department’s Technical Rescue Team pull a woman from her car after it became stuck in a flooded wash in Tucson, Arizona, on Sunday
A swollen river moves through Sedona, Arizona, with water levels approaching the height of a bridge
The National Weather Service said as much as 4 inches of rain could fall across the region as a series of Pacific storm systems moved through.
Flood watches and warnings covered nearly all of Arizona, along with parts of southern Utah, southwestern Colorado, western New Mexico and southern Nevada.
The alerts included the sparsely populated Four Corners region, where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet.
The National Weather Service office in Salt Lake City warned that earlier storms had already saturated the ground, increasing the risk of excessive runoff during the latest rainfall—particularly in Utah’s Washington County and at Zion and Capitol Reef national parks.
“Flood-prone areas will likely become inundated at times, and backcountry roads will likely become impassable from this excessive runoff,” the weather service said.
Coronado National Forest shared video showing flooding at Sabino Dam in the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area
Floodwater turned roads into rivers and forced the closure of several Arizona highways
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office shared video of flooding in Black Canyon City
Pagosa Springs officials told anyone in low-lying areas along the San Juan, Rio Blanco, Navajo and Piedra rivers to move to a designated shelter at a local church.
Residents were urged to leave before conditions deteriorated, as emergency crews could be severely limited during the height of the storm.
The highway into town was closed to inbound traffic. Officials also advised residents to avoid the San Juan River after sewage was discharged into the water.
Katie German, owner and chef of Bruin Coffee in Pagosa Springs, said downtown had been evacuated and streets were flooding.
German said she was particularly concerned that the only bridge into town could be washed out, cutting off trucks carrying essential supplies such as food and fuel.
Officials had lifted a flood evacuation order only days earlier, but reinstated it Saturday night after forecasters predicted the San Juan would crest at 21.9 feet Sunday night, according to the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office.
“I’m worried about my business, worried about my employees, definitely worried for everybody in this town,” German said. “This town, we’re a very, very tight community. We all help each other out.”
An abandoned car sits in rushing floodwater as Sedona Fire brings in additional personnel for the unusually high number of rescues
A car travels along a flooded road in Flagstaff, Arizona, on Sunday
MORE STORY: Walmart Accused of Selling Bags of Ice Labeled as Shrimp
Yavapai County sheriff’s deputies help evacuate homes in Sedona
First responder Matt Lowry ties a sandbag in preparation for flooding in Flagstaff on Sunday
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office shared photos and video of Sunday’s flooding
Road signs protrude above the rising floodwater
A woman crosses a flooded road in Flagstaff, Arizona, on Sunday
Water cascades through Sabino Canyon in Arizona
Sedona Fire shared video of flooding in Arizona and called in extra personnel to handle the high number of rescues
Officials in La Plata County, west of Pagosa Springs, said every public road had been closed because of flooding.
In Sedona, longtime resident Michelle Grimm said she feared for the community after seeing Oak Creek rise perilously close to the underside of a pedestrian bridge near downtown.
“I went out at eight this morning and I saw the bridge and I was like, ‘Oh, we’re in trouble,’” she said while sheltering at home Sunday afternoon.
“I’ve never seen them rescuing people with helicopters out of neighborhoods. I’ve never seen neighborhoods completely submerged in water,” Grimm said. “We’re just praying that the creek doesn’t rise anymore.”
Video released by the Sedona Fire Department showed powerful floodwaters sweeping around vehicles and rushing past homes and other structures.
Additional photos and videos posted on social media showed people standing on a pedestrian bridge to record muddy, churning water surging beneath them.
By Sunday afternoon, the heaviest rain had eased in the Sedona area.
The severe weather also disrupted Halloween weekend celebrations throughout Arizona, canceling several major events that organizers had spent months planning.
The annual Dia de los Muertos festival at St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix was postponed until November 8. The final day of the Arizona State Fair and Bug Fest at Arizona Boardwalk were also canceled.
Jerome Doris, parish manager at St. Mary’s Basilica, said organizers had spent days preparing for the festival, which normally brings vendors and about 10 food trucks to the surrounding streets.
“Outside today it is very quiet, but if it was not raining it would be a type of activity—vendors in the plaza there, the street would have 10 food trucks,” Doris said.
A smaller Dia de los Muertos altar will remain inside the church throughout the week so worshippers can honor loved ones despite the cancellation.
Floodwaters rush through Sedona, Arizona
Mateo Heras, Father Matt Lowry and Luke Willson fill sandbags to help protect Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Flagstaff, Arizona
Coronado National Forest shared video of Arizona flooding and warned drivers not to cross canyons
The Tucson Fire Department rescues people from vehicles during Sunday’s flooding
There were 12 water rescues across the greater Tucson area, with Tucson Fire responding to seven
Officials monitored Oak Creek as forecasters expected water levels to peak by evening, said David McAtee, a spokesperson for Yavapai County, which includes part of Sedona and other affected communities.
No injuries or deaths had been reported, McAtee said. At least 100 homes were inside the evacuation zone, and nearly 20 had residents who needed emergency help leaving.
The heavy rain closed multiple Arizona highways on Sunday, the state Department of Transportation reported.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said state air-rescue teams were helping evacuate people from rooftops, while transportation crews worked to remove debris.
Rain was expected to gradually diminish across Arizona as the wet system moved east, potentially bringing significant precipitation to other parts of the country, said Brian Hurley, a senior National Weather Service meteorologist in Maryland.
“It’s a pretty vigorous system,” he said. “It’s got a lot of moisture to work with.”
Firefighters rescue a driver from a vehicle
A storm drain overflows onto an already flooded street in Flagstaff, Arizona, on Sunday
Pickup trucks sit submerged along Highway 160 in South Fork, Colorado
Floodwater surrounds trailers at the Fun Valley Family Resort campground and RV park in South Fork, Colorado
The hardest-hit parts of Arizona could receive between 3 and 5 inches of rain, particularly around the Mogollon Rim north and east of Phoenix, according to the Weather Prediction Center.
Forecasters warned that saturated soil could drive floodwater through canyons, normally dry washes and areas scarred by earlier wildfires, where the terrain is especially susceptible to sudden runoff.
Southern Utah and western New Mexico could receive up to 3 inches of rain before the storm moves east toward the Great Plains on Monday.
The emergency also reached another part of Colorado on Sunday, where authorities ordered evacuations in sections of Conejos County because of rapidly rising floodwaters.
Colorado’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management warned that evacuees might not be able to return for several days and urged them to leave immediately for higher ground.
