APTOPIX Extreme Weather Arizona Southwest Flooding
Members of the Tucson Fire Department's Technical Rescue Team rescue a woman from her car after it became stuck in a flooded wash in Tucson, Ariz., Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026.
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Heavy rains and flash flooding have prompted mandatory evacuation orders in parts of the U.S. Southwest. In Colorado, officials in Pagosa Springs warned Sunday of potentially catastrophic flooding as the San Juan River was forecast to crest at more than 19 feet Sunday night. Officials say anyone in low-lying areas along the San Juan, Rio Blanco, Navajo, and Piedra rivers should head to a designated shelter at a local church. Officials in Sedona, Arizona, ordered residents in areas near Oak Creek to leave immediately as floodwaters were rising rapidly and multiple people were already trapped in their homes.
Another round of heavy rains and flash flooding has triggered evacuations along rivers in parts of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona. The water's receding now in one Colorado tourist town, but other rivers are still rising. The San Juan River crested Sunday night in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, reaching close to a level that devastated the town back in 1911. The flooding has closed some Election Day polling sites in the Southwest, forcing changes in some voting plans. Arizona officials ordered evacuations along Oak Creek in Sedona, and in Tucson, Arizona, a meteorologist said they're getting several months’ worth of rain in just a couple of days.
