El Niño rain dumps record water on arid Southwest, killing two and swamping Election Day prep

The arid Southwest faced a deluge on Monday as unusually heavy rain from El Niño disrupted weather patterns across the Four Corners region. The National Weather Service estimated that as much as four inches of rain could fall by the end of the day. This system has generated over 20 trillion gallons of water across the Four Corners states and Nevada in the past two weeks, according to calculations by former NOAA chief scientist Ryan Maue.

Two deaths have been confirmed in the flooding. In Flagstaff, Arizona, police found the body of Williams Singavarapu, 73, of New York, in a drainage tunnel. He had fallen into fast-moving waters Sunday night. A second man, whose identity has not been released, was also found dead in a drainage area Monday. Flagstaff police believe his death is weather-related, pending an official determination of cause and manner.

Floodwaters forced evacuations in multiple jurisdictions. In Pagosa Springs, Colorado, the San Juan River reached 16.81 feet late Sunday, flooding downtown streets before receding Monday. The town, which has a population of about 2,000, nearly faced catastrophic destruction when the river crested at 17.8 feet in 1911. Authorities had warned of potentially catastrophic flooding in the area. The evacuation order was reimposed Saturday after being lifted the previous week.

Election Day plans were altered for affected residents. The Colorado Secretary of State’s office arranged alternative voting for evacuated or marooned citizens in Pagosa Springs. Voters who received mail ballots can obtain replacements at any vote center in the state. In-person ballots cast outside a voter’s home county count only for statewide races, while mail ballots can be returned to any drop box or vote center by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

The Animas River in southwestern Colorado also rose, forcing residents to leave their homes. Durango police Chief Brice Current stated that authorities were checking on residents who remained in their homes during the flood. Current noted that many people remained stranded and warned that sewage and chemicals in the water posed health risks. The river was closed to recreational watercraft, and riverside trails and foot bridges were shut down.

Record rainfall was reported across Arizona. Workman Creek near Phoenix received 7.3 inches of rain over two days. Flagstaff recorded 5.15 inches, marking its wettest November 1 on record. Meteorologist Jennifer Tate with the NWS Weather Prediction Center described the event as a very broad system that brought heavy rain to many locations rather than a localized storm. In Sedona, officials ordered residents near Oak Creek to leave Sunday as floodwaters trapped people in their homes. The heavy rain also washed out part of the main highway between Flagstaff and Sedona, damaging guardrails and scattering boulders and trees across the road.

In Utah, Ryan Benally spent the weekend building dirt berms to protect his parents' home near Montezuma Creek. The barriers held, but parts of their small cattle ranch remain underwater. Benally, a professor at Utah State University, said his parents, both in their 60s, had never seen flooding this severe. He has been coordinating the delivery of supplies such as bottled water and waterproof boots to shelters. Emergency routes for remote residents have washed out, leaving some families effectively landlocked.

Sewage backups occurred in the Pinetop-Lakeside area of central Arizona, where manhole covers popped up and waste flowed into homes. The region’s sanitary district announced the issue as flooding overwhelmed the system. In New Mexico, the village of Chama was evacuated and cut off by road closures. Evacuations were also ordered along the San Juan River and on the Navajo Nation, with the Utah Navajo Health System posting updates on highway closures and detours.