Key Points
- Record flooding on the San Juan River in San Juan County, New Mexico, has led to what state officials call hundreds of rescues. No deaths had been reported as of Sunday morning.
- The National Weather Service says the river at Shiprock reached its highest stage on record and is forecast to drop below flood stage Sunday evening, but failed gauges mean there is no current reading.
- Evacuated residents still have no re-entry plan, and county officials warned that runoff from washes could send another surge down the river.
- A Flash Flood Watch covers parts of northwest, north-central and west-central New Mexico on Sunday afternoon and evening because soils are saturated.
The Four Corners flooding that sent the San Juan River to record levels in northwest New Mexico has shifted from rooftop rescues to door-to-door searches, but officials say the emergency is not over. As of about 10 a.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 25, evacuations remained in place in San Juan County, with more storms forecast.
No deaths had been reported in this flood as of Sunday morning, according to statements from the governor’s office and reporting by the Albuquerque Journal and The Associated Press.
What happened
Heavy rain pushed the San Juan and Animas rivers over their banks late last week. The National Weather Service said the San Juan River at Farmington crested at an all-time record on Friday, Oct. 23, and that flooding of this extent had not been seen there since before Navajo Dam was completed in 1962. Downstream at Shiprock, on the Navajo Nation, the agency described the river as reaching “the highest river stage on record.”
The Shiprock gauge’s last reading, 21.22 feet at 6 a.m. ET Saturday, was above the 20.5-foot major flood stage, according to NOAA data. A Saturday afternoon weather service statement said the river was likely near its crest at around or just above 22 feet. Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren estimated it reached about 23 feet overnight, KOAT reported. San Juan County spokesperson Devin Neeley said most river gauges had failed or washed away, so no live reading exists.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office said New Mexico National Guard and State Police crews carried out hundreds of rescues. “Families in Bloomfield and Farmington spent the night on rooftops watching the river flood their homes, and our National Guard and State Police crews have been bringing them to safety,” the governor said in a statement. About 58 Guard members were deployed, her office said.
San Juan County Fire and Rescue Chief David Vega told the Albuquerque Journal he suspected “200 to 300 actual rescues.” Guard helicopters made 11 hoist operations, each lifting up to eight people, Neeley told the AP.
Damage estimates differ. The Santa Fe New Mexican, citing the weather service, reported up to 1,500 homes and buildings affected, while the governor’s office cited a weather service estimate of thousands. Vega told the Journal up to 2,000 homes were affected.
Latest development
The most recent San Juan River statements from the National Weather Service in Albuquerque were issued between 1:01 and 1:18 a.m. ET Sunday. They keep a major flood warning for the river at Shiprock until late Sunday night and forecast it to fall below its 15.5-foot flood stage Sunday evening. The San Juan at Farmington was forecast to drop below its 8.5-foot flood stage around midday Sunday. The Animas River at Farmington read 9.7 feet at 11:30 p.m. ET Saturday, just under its 10-foot flood stage, and was falling.
Local officials are more cautious. Late Saturday, they said there was no re-entry plan and expected another overnight surge from runoff in washes, KOAT reported. Harper Valley and Wildhorse Valley were evacuated as a precaution, and County Roads 5500 and 6675 were closed. “There is no such thing as water receding at this point,” Neeley told the Navajo Times.
“My message today is that this isn’t over yet,” Sheriff Shane Ferrari said, according to the Journal. Vega said crews were searching houses door to door and “we don’t know of any individuals that are still trapped.” Drones are not allowed under a temporary flight restriction.
Shelters are open at McGee Park, which accepts pets and RVs, and at Power House Church and First Baptist Church in Shiprock, the governor’s office said.
Why it matters
The governor’s office said the Bloomfield Water Reclamation Facility flooded, sending untreated wastewater into the river, and asked residents to limit water use. Navajo Police Deputy Chief Donnie Kee told the Navajo Times that plants in Farmington and Shiprock were also affected. Neeley gave a different account, saying county-side sewer systems were working again and the Farmington plant never shut down. The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority said its treated drinking water was safe and no boil order was in effect.
The Navajo Nation Commission on Emergency Management declared a state of emergency with Nygren’s concurrence, the Navajo Times reported, and Nygren is drafting $10 million in relief legislation, according to KOAT.
The disaster hits a region still recovering from earlier storms. On Friday, the governor asked for a federal Major Disaster Declaration for flooding from Sept. 20 to Oct. 2 in 14 counties and three tribal nations, with $27.1 million in estimated damage. KOAT reported that the September floods killed three people in San Juan County.
What happens next
In its 7:47 a.m. ET forecast discussion Sunday, the weather service said river flooding would continue in parts of central and northwest New Mexico, with storms moving toward the Four Corners through the evening. Drier, warmer weather is expected Monday through midweek, with showers returning Thursday and Friday.
Lujan Grisham is preparing a request for a federal emergency disaster declaration, and damage will be assessed once the water goes down, her office said. As of Sunday morning, FEMA’s public declarations data showed no declaration for this flood.
Safety guidance from state officials: leave if told to evacuate, call 911 if trapped, and call 2-1-1 for other help. Never drive through flooded roads; the weather service notes that most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Check road closures at nmroads.com. Brad Greenberg of San Juan Regional Medical Center warned that floodwater can carry sewage, fuel and chemicals.
Related live coverage
Follow warnings and river updates on our U.S. Weather Live center. For national news channels, visit our Watch Live hub. For background on moisture plumes and flooding rain, see our atmospheric river explainer.
Sources
- Office of the Governor of New Mexico: Historic flooding hits San Juan County as National Guard, State Police carry out rescues
- National Weather Service Albuquerque: San Juan and Animas River flood statements, Flash Flood Watch and forecast discussion; NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge data
- Albuquerque Journal: ‘This isn’t over yet’: San Juan County officials warn flood threat continues
- Navajo Times: Untreated sewage contaminates San Juan River as floodwaters threaten public health
- The Associated Press via NBC News; KOAT; Santa Fe New Mexican
