A sprawling storm system fueled by El Niño dropped record rain across the Four Corners region, killing at least one person and prompting widespread evacuations from Colorado to Arizona. More than 20 trillion gallons of rain fell on the region and Nevada over two weeks, according to former NOAA chief scientist Ryan Maue.
In Flagstaff, 5.15 inches of rain over two days marked the city's wettest November 1 on record. The body of Williams Singavarapu, 73, of New York, was found Monday about 12 hours after he was seen falling into floodwaters entering a drainage tunnel. Police said a second man was found dead in a drainage area in what appeared to be a weather-related death.
In Colorado, the San Juan River crested at 16.81 feet in Pagosa Springs, flooding downtown before receding. The town of roughly 2,000 was nearly wiped out by a flood in 1911. Officials arranged alternative voting plans for displaced residents, while authorities in Durango checked on people who stayed behind along the Animas River, which was closed to recreation due to sewage and chemical contamination.
Evacuations were also ordered along the San Juan River in New Mexico, where the village of Chama was cut off by road closures. The river was still rising and expected to crest Tuesday through Wednesday. In Sedona, residents near Oak Creek were ordered to evacuate Sunday as floodwaters rose.
National Weather Service meteorologist Jennifer Tate said the system stood out because it was not localized. "What really stood out to me was that this wasn't localized. It was a very broad system that brought a lot of rain to a lot of places," Tate said Monday.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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