{"id":16147,"date":"2025-10-13T18:56:44","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T00:56:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/2-to-4-more-inches-of-rain-expected-across-southwest-colorado\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T21:55:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:55:06","slug":"2-to-4-more-inches-of-rain-expected-across-southwest-colorado","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/2-to-4-more-inches-of-rain-expected-across-southwest-colorado\/","title":{"rendered":"2 to 4 more inches of rain expected across Southwest Colorado"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"An
An operator in a front end loader tries to clear debris around a flooded home in north Vallecito on Saturday as flood water from Vallecito Creek caused an evacuation of 383 homes in the area. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>Jerry McBride<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

After being pummeled by Tropical Storm Priscilla\u2019s remnants over the weekend, Southwest Colorado is in for another round of heavy rain Monday as Tropical Storm Raymond arrives.<\/p>\n

Weekend rains prompted the evacuation of about 390 homes in northern Vallecito after up to 5.2 inches of rain fell locally within a 2\u00bd-day period, according to a Facebook post from the National Weather Service<\/a> in Grand Junction. That pushed Vallecito Creek to 7,200 cubic feet per second and triggering widespread flooding in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are right in the bull\u2019s-eye again from this new tropical storm,\u201d said La Plata County spokeswoman Sarah Jacobson.<\/p>\n

\"Debris
Debris stacked along the shoreline of Vallecito Creek after the creek flooded. (Courtesy of La Plata County)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

On Monday, Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency for western Colorado to bolster response and recovery efforts. According to the governor\u2019s release, the declaration activates the State Emergency Operations Plan and authorizes the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to take necessary actions \u2013 up to an initial $1 million in costs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Governor has been monitoring the situation closely and State public safety leaders have been in close contact with local emergency management about this unprecedented weather event,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n

Jacobson said the flooding in Vallecito damaged many homes that had been evacuated. She said residential propane tanks, septic systems, water supplies, roadways and trees were likely affected \u2013 creating a highly hazardous environment.<\/p>\n

Jacobson said residents will receive reentry kits and bottled water once they are allowed to return home. She also announced that a briefing will be held at 6 p.m. Monday at Bayfield Intermediate School cafeteria, 720 E. Oak Drive, to inform evacuees what to expect during reentry.<\/p>\n

\"Evacuation
Evacuation zones for residents around Vallecito Reservoir as flooding continues in Vallecito Creek and the Los Pinos River. The yellow zones indicate pre-evacuation orders and the green zones mark mandatory evacuations orders. (Courtesy of La Plata County)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

La Plata County Sheriff\u2019s Sgt. Chris Burke urged drivers to remain alert for flooding and debris on roads. With the rainstorm approaching, Burke said the department expects more flash-flooding.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe ask that you don\u2019t try to drive through any debris, standing water or any water flow,\u201d Burke said.<\/p>\n

Roads that may be experiencing flooding include:<\/p>\n

East Animas Road (County Road 250) County Road 203La Posta Road (County Road 213) Buck Highway (County Road 521) County Road 501<\/div>\n

\u201cWe have a lot of roads in that evacuated area that are just impassable because the streams have jumped their normal route,\u201d Jacobson said. \u201cRoads that were a road on Friday \u2013 now you can\u2019t even tell it\u2019s a road. It looks like a stream, with rapids and everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to a Monday news release from La Plata County, these roads include: Ponderosa Homes Road, Ponderosa Homes Drive, West Grimes Road, West Vallecito Creek Road and River Bed Road.<\/p>\n

\"La
La Plata County Road and Bridge Department working to repair the County Road 501 bridge over Vallecito Creek between Tucker Lane and Mushroom Lane on Monday. (Courtesy of La Plata County)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Road and Bridge crews are working to repair county infrastructure, Jacobson said. Major repairs are underway along County Road 501, and culvert work is planned on Grimes Creek.<\/p>\n

A hole on the County Road 501 bridge over Vallecito Creek \u2013 between Tucker Lane and Mushroom Lane \u2013 was caused by high-water turbulence behind the headwall wingwall. The scouring from the turbulence created a void beneath the bridge about 8 feet deep and 7 feet wide, extending 16 feet back toward the center line of the road.<\/p>\n

Repairs on the damaged section of the bridge began Monday morning, and crews hope it will set overnight to allow one-lane traffic to resume Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\"A
A tent over the concrete poured to repair the County Road 501 Vallecito Creek Bridge. The tent is meant to let the concrete set. (Courtesy of La Plata County)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

In addition, Road and Bridge crews have completed concrete work on County Road 500, where Grimes Creek began cutting beneath the pavement.<\/p>\n

County Road 124 is closed as a result of flooding related issues with a cattle guard about 4 miles up the road, Jacobson said.<\/p>\n

Operations at the Durango-La Plata County Airport have continued largely as normal, with only a few minor delays, said Tony Vicari, director of aviation.<\/p>\n

The only notable delays have been linked to congestion at Phoenix Sky Harbor, where weather conditions have slowed some flights, he said. Officials expect only minor delays, if any, over the next two days.<\/p>\n

Rivers rise quickly<\/div>\n

\"A
A graph showing the rise in cubic feet per second in the Animas River as it passed through Durango. The river peaked at 4,810 cfs Saturday night, and is expected to rise to 5,450 cfs on Tuesday morning. (Courtesy of the National Weather Prediction Service)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

According to NWS meteorologist Kate Abbott, 2 inches of rain are expected over much of the region, with some localized areas seeing up to 4 inches.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the next 24 hours here, we\u2019re expecting widespread rainfall totals of 2 inches, with local peaks up to 4 inches,\u201d Abbott said. \u201cThe southern San Juans is where we\u2019ll see the highest rainfall totals and the biggest impacts from the rain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Vallecito
Vallecito Creek carved a new channel through the Ponderosa Homes Road when it flooded over the weekend. (Courtesy of La Plata County)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Abbott said weather systems like Priscilla and Raymond are rare in this region and at this time of year. They are both tropical storms that came in warm and carried lots of moisture, producing massive amounts of rain.<\/p>\n

\u201cConditions have to be just right in order to get some of that tropical moisture up into the Four Corners,\u201d he said. \u201cA month later, and this could have been mostly snow, but we\u2019ve had warm enough air to have most of this fall as rain here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rain falls outside of the typical monsoonal pattern, he said.<\/p>\n

The incoming wave of precipitation follows a major storm from last weekend that caused river levels to peak and triggered flooding.<\/p>\n

In addition to Vallecito Creek\u2019s heightened flows, other rivers in the area experienced record water levels, according to National Weather Service flow data. The Animas River surged<\/a> from 581 cfs at 12:01 a.m. Saturday to 4,820 cfs at 1 a.m. on Sunday.<\/p>\n

The next precipitation event is expected to exceed those levels, according to Colorado Basin River Forecast Center<\/a>. The Animas is forecast to top out at 5,450 cfs at 11 a.m. Tuesday while the San Juan River in Pagosa Springs could reach 6,810 cfs.<\/p>\n

\"A
A map of rain totals from the weekend published by the National Weather Service on its Facebook page. (Courtesy of the National Weather Service)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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