Atmospheric River Triggers Statewide Evacuations and Record Floods Across Arizona and Colorado

Key points

• Pima County Sheriff’s Department reported 16 river rescues in the Tucson area on Sunday, all without injury; Tucson Fire Department handled seven of these water rescues.
• Arizona issued emergency 'GO' evacuation orders for areas including Sedona (Zones 8, 9, 10), Camp Verde, Cottonwood, and parts of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and White Mountain Apache Tribe lands.
• The National Weather Service warned that the atmospheric river event, fueled by remnants of Hurricane Vance and a strengthening El Niño, brought 2+ inches of rain to Oro Valley and the Catalina Mountains, compared to 0.5-1.0 inch in Tucson.
• In Colorado, La Plata County temporarily closed all county roads due to dangerous flooding, while the San Juan River in Pagosa Springs was expected to reach a record 22-foot crest, surpassing the 1911 record of 17.8 feet.
• Multiple highways in Arizona, including State Route 89A and 73, remained closed due to rockfall and flooding, while ADOT crews worked to clear debris using plow trucks.

Background

This severe weather event follows a dry 2025 in Tucson, which recorded only 7.2 inches of rain against an annual average of 10-11 inches. The current flooding is attributed to a strengthening El Niño pattern, which federal forecasters predict will bring a wet winter to the Southwest. No prior archive articles provided context for this specific weather event, as the September 2026 entry concerned unrelated sports news.

How outlets are covering it

Arizona Daily Star focused on local rescue operations in Tucson and the specific rainfall totals in the Catalina Mountains, emphasizing the 'atmospheric river' phenomenon. AZ Family and ABC15 Arizona provided comprehensive lists of evacuation orders and shelter locations across the state, highlighting the breadth of the impact from Sedona to Camp Verde. The Durango Herald offered a contrasting perspective from Colorado, detailing the severity of the flooding in La Plata and Archuleta counties, including record-breaking river levels and total road closures, which were not covered in the Arizona-focused sources.

Why it matters

The event highlights the increasing intensity of extreme weather events in the Southwest, driven by climate patterns like El Niño. The widespread evacuations and infrastructure damage demonstrate the vulnerability of both urban and rural areas to rapid-onset flooding. The record-breaking flood crest in Pagosa Springs signals a potential shift in historical weather patterns, with implications for future infrastructure planning and emergency response strategies in the region.

What to watch

Meteorologists expect additional rain in the Tucson area from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, as the atmospheric river continues. In Colorado, a flood warning remains in effect until 4:15 p.m. Monday for much of Southwest Colorado, with Pagosa Springs under warning until 7 p.m. Monday. Authorities are urging residents to stay home and avoid flooded roads, as conditions may remain dangerous for several days.