# National Weather Service Issues Flood Warning for San Juan River in New Mexico

> Minor flooding is forecast for the San Juan River at Shiprock, with the river expected to rise above flood stage overnight and crest early Saturday morning.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-23T13:52:44.367949Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/national-weather-service-issues-flood-warning-for-san-juan-river-in-new-mexico-77b083e3

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, issued a Flood Warning for the San Juan River at Shiprock [1]. This warning specifically impacts San Juan County [1]. The alert was issued on October 22 at 6:33 PM MDT [1]. Minor flooding is forecast for the affected area [1][2].

At 6:00 PM MDT on Thursday, the San Juan River at Shiprock was measured at a stage of 14.3 feet [1]. The bankfull stage for the river is 13.5 feet, and the official flood stage is 15.5 feet [1]. Forecasts indicate the river is expected to rise above its flood stage just after midnight tonight, which is early Friday [1][2]. The river is then projected to reach a crest of 17.3 feet early Saturday morning [1][2]. Following its crest, the San Juan River is expected to fall back below flood stage by Saturday afternoon [1]. This anticipated crest of 17.3 feet is higher than a previous crest of 14.5 feet recorded on May 25, 2005 [1].

Beyond the Shiprock warning, flood advisories are also in effect across San Juan County for both the Animas River and the San Juan River [5]. These advisories are expected to remain active through the current weekend [5]. Separately, another flood warning was issued for San Juan County at 7:04 AM local time, which was scheduled to remain in effect until 9:15 AM local time [4]. Reports also indicate that the San Juan River below Navajo Dam is currently at flood stage [3]. The weather service anticipates the San Juan River will rise into minor flood stage later tonight [5].

## Evidence cited
1. NWS Flood Warning: San Juan, NM (nws_alerts) — https://api.weather.gov/alerts/urn:oid:2.49.0.1.840.0.6b5d2d9d675f1757086e12d13c6b988b7e07d61e.001.1
2. Navajo Nation receives heavy rainfall, flash flooding and power outages (Navajo Times) — https://navajotimes.com/local-news/navajo-nation-receives-heavy-rainfall-flash-flooding-and-power-outages/
3. San Juan County braces for severe weather and flooding (Tri-City Record) — https://tricityrecordnm.com/2026/10/22/san-juan-county-braces-for-severe-weather-and-flooding/
4. Flood Warning Issued in San Juan, New Mexico (Cedar News) — https://cedarnews.net/2026/10/23/flood-warning-issued-in-san-juan-new-mexico/
5. New Mexico Weather Update: Flooding, Severe Storms, Tornado Watch (October 23, 2026) (YouTube) — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxxxxxxxxxx