Full Breakdown
Four Corners Flooding — A “Once-in-a-Generation” Weather Crisis
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
Heavy rain over the past several days has caused rivers to surge across the Four Corners region (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah). Swollen waterways forced evacuations, rooftop rescues, and widespread power outages. In San Juan County, New Mexico, about 4 feet (1.2 m) of water inundated Sheriff Shane Ferrari’s home. No deaths have been confirmed, but hundreds remain displaced and many homes are still without electricity.
Background & Context
The flooding follows two months of intermittent heavy rain that ended a prolonged summer drought. Meteorologists attribute the intense precipitation to El Niño-related tropical moisture moving inland from the Pacific. “It’s been more or less three or four days,” said Anthony Brown, lead meteorologist at the Santa Teresa weather service office. “The soils are very saturated right now, so it’s not going to take much rain for the small creeks and streams to overflow,” added Kris Sanders.
Data & Statistics
- Rainfall: over 5 inches in parts of Colorado; about 4 inches across the broader area Wednesday-Friday; up to 6 inches in the San Juan Mountains.
- River crests: San Juan River in Farmington ran 2 ft above its 1909 record; Pagosa Springs peaked at 15 ft, later falling to just above 12 ft.
- Evacuations & power loss: roughly 600 households (?1,500 people) urged to evacuate in San Juan County; over 3,000 electric outages reported region-wide.
- Rescues: at least 200 people rescued, including 11 helicopter hoist operations by the New Mexico National Guard.
- Infrastructure impacts: San Juan River Bridge remained closed; U.S. Highway 64 west of Shiprock and a four-mile stretch of NM 371 were shut; wastewater facilities on the Navajo Nation released untreated sewage into the river.
Official Statements & Responses
Fire & Rescue Chief David Vega urged patience, noting lingering hazards such as contaminated water, broken gas lines, and raw sewage. Undersheriff Cory Tanner said officials would conduct house-to-house hazard checks for days. Governor Jared Polis declared disaster emergencies for multiple Colorado counties and activated the National Guard. New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham emphasized that families had spent nights on rooftops and that the National Guard and state police were rescuing residents. Mayor John Mohler of Shiprock asked residents to limit wastewater discharge until treatment facilities could resume safe operations.
On-the-Ground Reports
Juana Puga of Hurricane, Utah described her house filling in “five minutes,” calling the surge “hard to even understand.” Chris Mott of Pagosa Springs said his home was “bigger than the last one” after floodwaters moved sandbags and destroyed his roof. Sarah Fatt, a Navajo Nation health representative, noted that washed-out roads kept children out of school for three days. Tyler Scartaccini, rescued from a partially submerged RV in Colorado, said the experience left him feeling “less safe” than before.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Evacuation figures vary: San Juan County cited roughly 600 households, while Shiprock officials reported only 30 people evacuated. Precise counts of homes damaged remain unavailable, and the total volume of sewage released into the San Juan River has not been quantified.
What’s Next
San Juan County warned that “we may see some floodwaters receding, but there will be more rain, and the rivers are expected to rise again.” The National Weather Service has kept flood watches in place, and officials continue to advise residents to avoid non-essential travel and to reserve 911 calls for emergencies. Emergency shelters remain open, and authorities are monitoring wastewater contamination and potential gas-line hazards as waters slowly recede.