Remnants of hurricane expected for Western, 4 Corners

WINDOW ROCK

Don’t let the sunny blue skies fool you.

Remnants of Hurricane Rosa are forecast to reach the Navajo Nation on Monday or Tuesday with the majority of the storm in the Western Agency in north and northeast Arizona.

Weather models indicate the storm will be in western Arizona before dissipating and moving out of the Southwest by Tuesday evening.

This doesn’t mean folks on the reservation should not prepare for it, said Navajo Nation Council Delegate Amber Crotty on Friday.

“With this type of weather surge, it’s hard to say if you want to declare an emergency,” she said. “It’s my understanding that the dynamic of the weather is always changing and moving. There is an Emergency Management Committee that makes a declaration of emergencies.”

Crotty said the committee, chaired by Herman Shorty, with the Navajo Department of Health, and Delegate Benjamin Bennett, would ultimately issue an emergency if criteria are met.

The National Weather Service issued a hydrologic outlook on Thursday that said rainfall between a half an inch to 2 inches would impact the area west of the Continental Divide.

While monsoon rains, which ended in September, have brought much-needed moisture, NWS said the region remains in a drought, which ranges from exceptional to severe.

The NWS said with the rain that could fall, people should expect the dangers of flash floods in arroyos and flooding in areas prone to floods.

“The last rainfall that we had, it’s a blessing, but some people were getting stranded and were sleeping in their vehicles on the road,” Crotty said. “I just want to give some notice, sometimes, that this is a pretty powerful storm that’s heading our way.”

She added that summer ended and temperatures are starting to drop.

“I think preparing for the upcoming winter weather is just smart, in general,” she said. “We just want to make sure people are safe.”

Crotty said people should have flashlights, wood and other alternatives for heat if it gets cold.

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