Evacuations, road closures continue as flooding peaks in southwest Colorado – The Denver Post

Evacuations, road closures continue as flooding peaks in southwest Colorado  The Denver Post

Evacuations and road closures continued across southern Colorado on Monday as floodwaters overflowed rivers, threatening homes and infrastructure. Dangerous floodwaters threatened homes and communities across southwestern Colorado on Monday, causing widespread damage to towns and counties already incapacitated by flooding from rain-swollen rivers one week earlier. The San Juan River in Pagosa Springs rose to nearly 17 feet on Sunday as an estimated 3 to 4 inches of rain fell over land already saturated by heavy precipitation. The river did not hit the record-breaking 22-foot crest that forecasters expected, but the 16.81-foot crest recorded Sunday night is the second-highest on record and two feet higher than one week ago, according to preliminary data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s river gauges.

Southern Colorado officials ordered mandatory evacuations for people living in parts of La Plata, Archuleta, Rio Grande, Mineral, Conejos and Montezuma counties, including parts of Pagosa Springs, Durango, Del Norte, Ignacio and Mancos. Widespread road and highway closures are affecting the region, and law enforcement officials urged people to avoid all non-essential travel. Jump to: Archuleta County | Rio Grande and Mineral counties | La Plata County | Conejos County | Montezuma County | Highway closures Sunday’s storm brought similar or slightly less rain than the storm that caused widespread flooding in the area more than a week