Recent rains cause flooding in areas

Flooding takes place on Colo. 151 Friday, Sept. 12. Areas of Archuleta County received upwards of 2 inches of rain last week, leaving parts of the county experiencing flooding and mudslides. According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, Colo. 151 between U.S. 160 and Arboles was closed for approximately 3.5 hours on Sept. 12 while maintenance crews responded with two snow plows and a loader to clear the road after flash flooding. Archuleta County reported flooding and mudslide issues from the Carracas area to Colo. 151. The rain also boosted area rivers. The San Juan River in Pagosa Springs jumped to 1,010 cubic feet per second (cfs) on Sept. 13, up from 24.2 cfs on Sept. 10. The Piedra River near Arboles jumped to 540 cfs on Sept. 13, up from 19.4 cfs. As of 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17, the river was running at 95.6 cfs. As of 11:15 a.m. on Sept. 17, the site recorded a flow of 103 cfs. As of Wednesday morning, Sept. 17, sites around Archuleta Country reported between 1.87 inches (between downtown and uptown Pagosa Springs) and 3.68 inches (east of Chromo) received so far in September, besting the month’s average of about 2 inches. According to Pagosa Weather, through Friday, “there will be lots of blue sky and pleasant temps.”