Evacuation orders lifted in Winslow area that was threatened by rising Little Colorado River

Evacuation orders that were issued Monday as the Little Colorado River threatened to overtop a levee in Winslow, about 60 miles east of Flagstaff, were lifted Tuesday.

About 10:30 a.m., Bushman Acres, Ames Acres, areas from Flying J Travel Center to Minnetonka, RV Park and Best Western Plus were reverted from “GO” to the “Ready” status in the state’s emergency alert system.

The Little Colorado River has four categories to measure its degree of potential flooding:

• Action: 17 feet
• Minor flooding: 19 feet
• Moderate flooding: 22 feet
• Major flooding: 25 feet

The river reached about 17 feet at 9:15 p.m. Sunday and surged to the 25-foot mark just after midnight. But the level was down to 22 feet, and trending lower, when the evacuation orders expired Tuesday.

What shelters are open to evacuate to?

Navajo County put out a list of shelters open to those evacuating on Monday morning:

• First Baptist Church (411 N. Warren Avenue)
• Winslow Christian School (502 Airport Road)
• Canyon Day Junior High
• Chief Alchesay Activity Center — the center was preparing for evacuees when the list was released

Cibecue Elementary School gym was also listed, but was at full capacity when the list was released.

This is an updated version of a story originally published Nov. 2, 2026.

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