DENVER, Colorado — Floodwater from a tropical storm system tore through southwest Colorado this week, forcing mandatory evacuations around Pagosa Springs, closing major highways including US 550 and US 160, and prompting Governor Jared Polis to declare a disaster emergency for 11 counties on Thursday night. Nearly 100 Colorado National Guard members are now helping with evacuations and search and rescue, the Guard said.
Source: Colorado DHSEM SEOC Update, Oct. 23, 2026
Polis verbally declared the disaster emergency at 8:36 p.m. on Thursday, October 23, covering La Plata, Archuleta, Montezuma, Dolores, Hinsdale, San Miguel, Ouray, San Juan, Mineral, Alamosa and Rio Grande counties, the state's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) said. The declaration activates the State Emergency Operations Plan and authorizes the National Guard — air, ground and engineering assets and unarmed personnel — to support flood and debris-flow response, evacuations and search and rescue. The State Emergency Operations Center has moved to Level 1, its highest response footing, and a State Recovery Task Force has been activated.
Source: Colorado DHSEM SEOC Update, Oct. 23, 2026
The San Juan River at Pagosa Springs crested at 15.02 feet on Friday morning — the second-highest level on record and well above the major-flood stage of 12.6 feet — according to local reporting cited by regional outlets. The Archuleta County Sheriff's Office ordered mandatory evacuations for low-lying and flood-prone areas along the San Juan, Rio Blanco, Navajo and Piedra rivers, and the town of Pagosa Springs declared its own disaster emergency.
Source: Regional reporting via Particle News and Four Corners coverage, Oct. 24, 2026
Guard helicopters stage at Pagosa Springs
"We are rapidly mobilizing to help our neighbors respond to this emergency," said Brigadier General William DiProfio, the Colorado National Guard's Director of the Joint Staff. "The Colorado National Guard has the capability to save lives, reduce suffering, and protect property." About 20 Guard members form Task Force Aviation, operating a hoist-equipped UH-60 Black Hawk and an LUH-72 Lakota helicopter for aerial search and rescue out of Pagosa Springs, while nearly 80 more personnel with 30 tactical vehicles form Task Force Ground Search and Rescue, the Guard said.
Source: Colorado National Guard release, via The I-70 Scout, Oct. 24, 2026
For drivers, the closures are extensive. US 550 is closed in both directions on Red Mountain Pass, where floodwater washed out parts of the road. US 160 is closed from mile point 157 to mile point 183 in what officials expect to be an extended closure, and is shut in both directions between mile markers 134 and 135 and through downtown Pagosa Springs between 7th and Lewis streets. Colorado 17 is closed from the New Mexico border to Antonito, and CO 151 south of US 160 is also closed, KSUT reported. Officials warn motorists never to drive through flooded roads or around barricades.
Source: KSUT (NPR affiliate), Oct. 23, 2026
In Durango, the La Plata County Sheriff closed the Animas River to all watercraft because of dangerous currents. The American Red Cross of Western Colorado has opened evacuation shelters at the La Plata County Fairgrounds in Durango and at the Pagosa Lakes Property Owners Association clubhouse in Pagosa Springs, offering food, water, medical help and mental-health support to evacuees and their pets. The storm also knocked out the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad through at least Monday, according to local television reporting.
Source: Four Corners regional coverage, Oct. 24, 2026
DHSEM said the Department of Public Safety, the Colorado State Patrol and CDOT are coordinating with local emergency managers, monitoring road damage and managing closures. With soils already saturated and river forecasts still volatile, officials say residents in the 11-county region should follow local alerts and be ready for evacuation orders to change. No deaths had been reported in the Colorado coverage reviewed for this story.