\u201cOur priority remains making sure we have reached everyone who needs help evacuating from flood-affected areas,\u201d the post said, referring to last week\u2019s storm. \u201cAt the same time, we are preparing for the incoming storm.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sheriff\u2019s office informed residents that they should evacuate if they live in low-lying areas. The county could receive up to 3 inches of rain and between 12 and 30 inches of snow in the high country, the Facebook post said. A winter watch is in effect.<\/p>\n
There is also the risk of flash flooding because the soils in the area are already saturated. The forecasts are still changing on which elevations will have rain or snow, how much precipitation will fall, and whether there will be thunderstorms, Scholtens said Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Travelers should avoid crossing flooded roadways or areas. It\u2019s difficult to tell how deep the water is or what debris is under the surface. Water can float an average-sized car when it is 8 to 10 inches deep, which raises the risk of being swept off the road.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost flood deaths do occur in vehicles,\u201d Scholtens said.<\/p>\n
The eastern San Juan Mountains and San Luis Valley should also expect light rain or snow Friday and Saturday with a bigger storm Sunday and Monday with heavy snowfall.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe could easily get a foot of snow at the Wolf Creek ski area and places up in that general area,\u201d Petersen said.<\/p>\n
The Rio Grande flooded along its course from the San Juan Mountains into South Fork and the San Luis Valley during the last storm.<\/p>\n
Communities like Del Norte and Monte Vista might see high flows again early next week, especially along the Conejos River and the South Fork of the Rio Grande, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re in or near the Rio Grande or the Conejos River \u2014\u00a0down in the valley or up towards South Fork,\u201d Petersen said, \u201cyou really need to pay attention to the weather this weekend and early next week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read more: Southwestern Colorado floods<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Record-breaking rain<\/p>\n For a lot of southern Colorado, the September through October period is either going to be the wettest on record or close to it, Russ Schumacher, state climatologist with the Colorado Climate Center, said.<\/p>\n The precipitation from Oct. 21 to Monday was extreme and rare<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The San Luis Valley saw a 100-year rainstorm last week with some areas experiencing a 1,000-year storm. Parts of Archuleta and La Plata counties flooded again this year after recovering from flooding in 2025 caused by record-breaking rainfall.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s rare to have historic floods two years in a row, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI completely understand why someone would interpret that as being, \u2018Oh, it was a 100-year storm. It happened this year. It\u2019s not going to happen again for 100 years,\u2019\u201d Schumacher said. \u201cThat\u2019s not actually what it means. What it really means is it\u2019s got a 1% chance of happening in any given year.\u201d<\/p>\n Some of what\u2019s happening this year clearly carries the fingerprint of El Ni\u00f1o, Schumacher said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Autumn tends to be wet in Colorado during El Ni\u00f1o, especially in the southern parts of the state. Eastern Pacific tropical systems are more typical, and that has also happened this fall. This year is categorized as a \u201csuper\u201d El Ni\u00f1o because water<\/a> in the Pacific Ocean is so much warmer than usual.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mineral, Hinsdale and Archuleta counties, where some of the heaviest rain fell, received about 884,000 acre-feet of rain between Oct. 22 and Sunday.\u00a0<\/p>\n One acre-foot roughly equals the annual water use of two to four households. Coloradans use about 380,000 acre-feet per year in cities and towns, according to state data<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Rescues](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Fun-Valley-SW-Colorado-Floods-05.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n