Note: The rainstorms have caused considerable runoff in Cortez's Carpenter Natural Area, leading to muddy trails, as shown in this photo.
The monsoon storms around the Four Corners in the past few days have been a decidedly mixed blessing. The moisture was badly needed, but the thunderstorms caused three tragic drownings on the Navajo Nation as well as infrastructure damage in numerous places.
Two adults and one juvenile were found dead early Wednesday morning when officers with the Navajo Police Department Shiprock District responded to a report of people being washed away in a flooded area.
“Although we consider the rain a blessing, we also acknowledge the dangers of heavy rain and flash flooding in our communities,” said council delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty in a statement.
“Our hearts are broken knowing that we lost loved community members who dedicated their lives to protecting our children.”
On Tuesday, the Navajo Nation Council and Commission on Emergency Management met and declared a state of emergency across the Navajo Nation because of the storms and flooding.
In Cortez, a lightning strike resulted in a power outage in much of the city Tuesday morning.
It was the second power outage in Cortez in just a few days, but the first, on Saturday, was caused by a squirrel at the substation, Andy Carter, Empire Electric Association member engagement manager, told KSJD.
On Tuesday morning the power went out again in much of Cortez. Carter said it’s believed that that outage was storm related. A protective lightning arrestor was apparently damaged by a lightning strike, he said.
Lightning arrestors divert the energy from lightning strikes and dissipate it, “but they will only absorb so much,” he said. The strike that hit late Monday night or early Tuesday morning was apparently too much. It didn’t cause problems until people began getting up and using electricity, which overloaded the system and caused the outage, he said.
“We had to replace the arrestor,” he said.
Chimney Rock National Monument near Pagosa Springs was closed because of a buildup of mud, rocks, and debris after severe thunderstorms on Monday night. It was reopened late Thursday.
And at Grand Canyon National Park, crews are assessing damage after a flash flood poured through Bright Angel Canyon on Wednesday afternoon and damaged temporary water infrastructure being constructed to repair harm done during the flood of Aug. 29.
No one was injured in the most recent flash flood, according to a press release.
“The temporary intake was under construction to help restore water service following damage to the Transcanyon Waterline that delivered water to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon,” the release reads. “Once the assessment is complete, crews will determine what repairs or modifications are needed and how the additional damage affects the timeline for restoring a reliable water supply to the South Rim.
Local weather observer James Andrus reports Cortez received an inch of rain on Monday and about three-quarters of an inch on Tuesday, with additional rain falling Wednesday and Thursday.
Andrus says the rainfall rate approached two inches per hour during the storms.
The weather is predicted to clear up for the next few days, but Andrus reminds people that sudden rainfall can be very dangerous.
“Turn Around, Don’t Drown!” he said in an email, adding, “Don’t turn your car into a worthless flood car with no resale value.”
All the moisture is expected to mitigate the current drought but not eliminate it. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association from January through August, Montezuma County experienced the 11th driest year to date over the past 132 years. This summer, the contiguous United States saw its warmest June through August on record.
