San Juan River to crest above 1911 flood levels in Pagosa Springs

Emergency officials in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, warned residents of potentially catastrophic flooding on Sunday night as the San Juan River approached historic height levels.

The Archuleta County Sheriff's Office stated that the river is forecast to crest at more than 19 feet around 11:00 p.m. Sunday. This projection exceeds the 17.8-foot crest recorded during the destructive 1911 flood, which eliminated much of the original town.

Local authorities directed anyone living in low-lying areas near the San Juan, Rio Blanco, Navajo, and Piedra Rivers to move to a designated shelter at a local church. Town officials shut down the main highway entering the town to inbound traffic on Sunday afternoon to limit vehicle traffic during the peak of the storm.

In Sedona, Arizona, officials ordered immediate evacuations for residents living near Oak Creek due to rapidly rising water. Several residents remained trapped inside their homes, prompting fire and police departments to coordinate with emergency crews from surrounding communities. Sedona Fire District Chief Ed Mezulis posted a video urging residents to stay on high ground and avoid crossing roads with rushing water.

Nearby Camp Verde also issued evacuation orders for areas near the Verde River, West Clear Creek, and Wet Beaver Creek. The National Weather Service in Tucson reported that the region received two to three months of rainfall over a span of a few days. Meteorologist Aaron Hardin noted that the intense weather caused flash floods, river flooding, and swift boat rescues in Tucson, located 230 miles south of Sedona.

Forecasters estimated that as much as 4 inches of rain could fall across the region through Monday, driven by multiple Pacific storm systems. The weather service issued flood watches for nearly all of Arizona, parts of southern Utah, southwestern Colorado, western New Mexico, and southern Nevada. This includes the sparsely populated Four Corners region where those four states meet.

Video shared by local fire departments showed flood waters submerging vehicles and washing past homes. Social media posts featured residents standing on a pedestrian bridge above churning, brown water. Officials in both states advised residents to leave immediately rather than waiting for emergency crews, noting that response teams would be stretched thin during the worst of the rainfall.