Updated October 27, 2026, 11:06 a.m. CDT: The National Weather Service revised its Purgatoire River forecast near Las Animas. Its 9:07 a.m. MDT bulletin reports 8.6 feet at 8:15 a.m., below the 9-foot flood stage. Flooding is now forecast to begin Tuesday afternoon, with a 10.2-foot crest Wednesday morning and a fall below flood stage Wednesday afternoon. The warning continues through late Wednesday night. These forecast timings and the lower projected crest supersede the earlier forecast below.

Earlier Updates and Context:

Updated October 27, 2026, 9:03 a.m. CDT: NWS’s 6:50 a.m. MDT bulletin reports a higher river reading and shifts expected flood-stage arrival to Tuesday morning.

The Purgatoire River near Las Animas measured 8.5 feet at 6:15 a.m. MDT, below its 9-foot flood stage. NWS forecasts a 10.5-foot crest Tuesday evening and a fall below flood stage Wednesday afternoon. The warning continues through late Wednesday night. These are forecasts, not observations that the crest has occurred.

Earlier Update — Update, October 26, 8:03 p.m. CDT: NWS replaced the watch with a warning through late Wednesday night. The river measured 6.7 feet at 6:15 p.m. MDT; flood stage is 9 feet. The new forecast calls for a 10.5-foot crest Tuesday evening, with flooding beginning after midnight.

Earlier Context — Morning Watch, Superseded by the Warning Above

The National Weather Service issued a flood watch October 26 for the Purgatoire River near Las Animas, Colorado, as high flows from recent rain moved downstream.

The Pueblo office’s 11:53 a.m. Mountain bulletin places the watch in effect from Monday evening through Wednesday afternoon for the Las Animas vicinity and Bent County zone.

At 11:15 a.m. Monday, the river stood at 2.5 feet. The listed flood stage is 9 feet. The agency said that threshold could be reached late Monday evening as the upstream water arrives.

A watch means flooding is possible. It is distinct from a warning that flooding is already occurring or expected imminently, and the morning gauge reading does not show the river had reached flood stage.

The Weather Service scheduled its next statement for 8 p.m. Mountain Monday. Forecasts and alert status may change as additional river observations arrive.

Sources: National Weather Service Pueblo — October 26 flood watch: https://www.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=pub&wwa=all