Colorado town braces for historic flood as heavy rains batter south-west

Key Points:

• Heavy rainfall in the south-west has caused flash flooding and mandatory evacuations, notably in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, where the San Juan River is forecast to reach historic levels above 20 feet, surpassing the devastating 1911 flood crest.
• Roads in Pagosa Springs are closed, and residents are urged to stay home unless under evacuation orders, while similar mandatory evacuations have been issued in northern New Mexico, central Arizona, and communities near swollen rivers and creeks.
• In Sedona, Arizona, residents near Oak Creek were ordered to evacuate immediately due to floodwaters trapping people in their homes, with additional evacuations in Yavapai County, Camp Verde, and Gila County, where entire communities were evacuated.
• The region is experiencing an intense rainfall event described as "two or three months of rain in a span of a couple of days," causing flash floods, river flooding, and swift water rescues as far south as Tucson.
• The National Weather Service has issued flood warnings and watches for nearly all of Arizona, parts of southern Utah, southwestern Colorado, western New Mexico, southern Nevada, and the Four Corners region, with up to 4 inches of rain expected to continue saturating the area through Monday.