72 Hours of Historic Rain Flood Arizona & Southwest Colorado
AZ Statewide Emergency
Rain that began Oct 30 overran rivers and washes from Sedona and the Verde Valley to Pagosa Springs, forcing mass evacuations across the Four Corners region.
Source: KJZZ; The Colorado Sun
Region HitFour Corners
Mass Evacuations as Oak Creek Canyon Floods
Rooftop Rescues
Sedona ordered mass evacuations on Sunday, Nov 1, as Oak Creek flooded. State DPS crews carried out rooftop rescues, and SR 89A between Sedona and Kachina Village closed.
Source: KJZZ; KNAU
Key Road ClosedSR 89A
Oak Creek Reaches ‘Unprecedented’ Flood Levels
~16 to 21+ ft
Local reports put Oak Creek’s peak at about 16–18 ft near Sedona and above 21 ft at Page Springs, where homes and businesses were damaged.
Source: KNAU; FOX 10 Phoenix
Readings VaryBy Gauge Location
Cottonwood, Camp Verde & Winslow Evacuate
60+ Rescues
The Verde River flooded homes in Cottonwood. Winslow, Cottonwood and Camp Verde were under evacuation, and Yavapai County reported more than 60 rescues.
Source: KJZZ; ABC15 Arizona
Also ClosedSR 87 near Winslow
Gov. Hobbs Declares a Statewide Emergency
$200,000 Relief
Seven counties and five tribal nations were affected. ADOT exceeded its capacity for debris removal and traffic control and called in Federal Highway Administration support.
Source: KJZZ (Nov 2, 2026)
Local EmergenciesApache, Gila, Yavapai
San Juan River Crests Near Its 1911 Flood Mark
16.8 ft Crest
The San Juan crested at 16.8 ft on Nov 1 — below the 21.8 ft forecast but above major flood stage, and close to the 17.8 ft flood of 1911 that wiped out much of the town.
Source: The Colorado Sun; NWS Grand Junction
1911 Record17.8 ft
More Than 1,000 Homes Under Evacuation Orders
1,000+ Homes
Orders also covered parts of Rio Grande, Conejos and San Juan counties. Sewage entered the San Juan River, and all incoming traffic to Pagosa Springs was halted.
Source: The Colorado Sun
Health WarningStay Out of River
Hit Again Before Repairs Were Done
~$27M Aid Request
Southwest Colorado was still repairing roads and bridges from late-October floods. Gov. Polis had requested about $27 million in federal aid just a day earlier.
Source: The Colorado Sun
Ground StatusAlready Saturated
Saturated Soil + Steep Rock = Instant Runoff
Little Absorption
After days of rain, the ground could absorb little more, so rain ran straight off slopes and canyons into creeks — flooding drainages that are normally dry.
Source: Archuleta County incident command
LessonNever Wait to Evacuate
Up to 18 Inches of Snow Forecast for the San Juans
12–18 in Forecast
A winter storm warning covered the San Juans above 10,000 ft. Mountain snowpack — not one-off downpours — is what refills the Colorado River system each spring.
Source: NWS via The Colorado Sun
Lake Mead (Nov 1)~1,039 ft · 24% Full
Track US Floods, Rainfall & El Niño Signals Live
Free Live Data
Follow real-time US precipitation anomalies and flood risk on our US Climate Extremes Tracker, and see why one storm cannot end the Colorado River shortage.
Source: Sustainability Awakening Live Tools
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