Round Two… Flood Warning: The San Luis Valley Faced Another Round of Historic Flooding NOVEMBER 3-6, 2026

Groundhog Day?

That’s what it felt like watching the Rio Grande and the rivers flowing out of the San Juan Mountains rise again. Had we really just been through this? Was the San Luis Valley reliving the same flood event all over again?

Only about a week had passed since communities throughout the valley experienced significant flooding from rivers flowing down from the San Juan Mountains. Yet here we were again, watching floodwaters rise to levels comparable to the previous week’s event.

The second round of flooding brought another set of challenges, raising questions about the valley’s drainage infrastructure and its ability to manage repeated volumes of floodwater in such a short period of time.

While the river continued to run high, the effects of the second flood were becoming visible beyond the riverbanks.

*Drainage problems surface in Alamosa*

During the afternoon of November 4, a drainage malfunction involving a Colorado Department of

Transportation (CDOT) system connected to the Rio Grande caused water to back up through Alamosa’s storm drainage system, resulting in street flooding.

According to Harry Reynolds, Director of Public Works for the City of Alamosa, the CDOT drainage

malfunction was responsible for the backup.

The situation occurred during the late-afternoon commute, when residents were traveling through the area.

Videos and photographs shared by local residents on social media showed vehicles navigating flooded streets.

By the following morning, the city’s pumps had removed the standing water. When I walked across the bridge around 9:30 a.m. to document the aftermath, the roadway remained closed. Although the water had receded, wet pavement and river sediment were still visible. The road reopened shortly afterward.

Reynolds confirmed that the city’s pumps had operated properly and helped clear the accumulated water.

*The River Recedes, But Questions Remain*

As the flood warning period came to an end in the early morning hours of November 6, the Rio Grande began showing signs of receding. After another extraordinary week of high water, the valley could finally begin to take a breath.

But with two significant flooding events occurring just a week apart, questions remain about what the fu- ture may hold. Were these back-to-back floods an unusual combination of weather patterns, or are they a glimpse of challenges the San Luis Valley may face again?

Much like the movie Groundhog Day, where Bill Murray’s character repeatedly wakes up to the same day, residents of the valley may be left wondering:

Will we find ourselves waking up to another round of flood warnings, rising rivers, and déjà vu? Or was this an extraordinary chapter in the valley’s history that we won’t soon see repeated?