flooding

October has been a good month for precipitation in the Four Corners.

Heavy rainfall over a two-day period in the Four Corners region saw severe floods in the Animas and San Juan rivers, causing damages to homes and businesses. Climate researchers are examining historical trends and the impacts of climate change to better understand the massive rain event.

Back-to-back October storms brought record rain and flooding to Southwest Colorado, easing drought but swelling rivers to near-record fall levels.

Recent storms brought record rainfall across the Four Corners — with some areas seeing a third of their annual total in a single day — but drought conditions remain. Water users across the Upper Colorado River Basin are facing deep, uncompensated cuts, forcing widespread farmland fallowing and new pressure on long-term water management.

A Flood Watch remains in effect through late tonight for the southern San Juans and nearby valleys, with several Flood Warnings still posted for rivers around Pagosa Springs. Rainfall totals of one to three inches were recorded over the past 24 hours, and while showers should ease this morning, scattered storms could redevelop by afternoon, bringing brief heavy rain, small hail, and gusty winds. Another system arrives Wednesday with additional showers, followed by a cold front Thursday that will cool temperatures by about ten degrees and drop snow levels to around 7,000 feet.

Hundreds of homes were evacuated over the weekend as flooding swept through parts of southwestern Colorado. The hardest-hit areas were Pagosa Springs and Vallecito, where creeks swelled to more than twice their normal spring runoff levels, damaging roads, bridges, and homes. Although evacuation orders have been lifted, more rain from Tropical Storm Raymond is on the way, and flood watches remain in effect across the San Juan Mountains and southern valleys.

From September 9 through 16, 2013, catastrophic floods swept across Colorado's Front Range, forcing thousands from their homes and leaving entire neighborhoods underwater. In Longmont, the St. Vrain Creek burst its banks, causing nearly $150 million in infrastructure damage. The city rebuilt with resilience in mind, and its efforts have earned recognition from the United Nations.

Yale's Climate Opinion Maps now include questions asking Americans about specific extreme weather events like wildfires and floods and how they relate to climate change. More than other Mountain West states, Colorado residents link climate change to these severe weather events.

A new bond initiative on the ballot in Dolores in this November’s election would fund renovations for the town’s secondary school campus. Earlier this month, the Dolores School District RE-4A board voted to move forward with the bond initiative, and established the Dolores School Campaign Committee as a separate group to craft the proposal and generate community support. Maegan Crowley is a member of the school board and the campaign committee, and a resident of Dolores. She says the enhancements to the secondary school are badly needed, especially after intense flooding this past spring damaged roads and infrastructure throughout town. The bond proposal, which would consist of $11.2 million funded through increased property taxes, would include flood mitigation at district facilities, as well as improved drainages and the raised elevation of some buildings.

In Dolores, unusually high amounts of winter snowpack are rapidly melting and causing severe flooding throughout town. Vicki Shaffer, the public information officer for Montezuma County, says that the snowmelt is mainly coming from nearby Granath Mesa. And lawmakers moved forward on Tuesday with a bill that would change how the government deals with disease outbreaks among livestock.