--- title: "Floods and a tornado hit the Southwest as overwash closes Hatteras roads" url: "https://bepreparedsolutions.co/reports/alert-pulse/week-2026-10-19" description: "Every emergency alert sent across the United States in Oct 19 – 25, 2026, and what happened behind them. Figures for the week, with the data behind them." source: "BePrepared Solutions" --- [BePrepared](https://bepreparedsolutions.co/)[Alert Pulse](https://bepreparedsolutions.co/reports/alert-pulse) [](https://bepreparedsolutions.co/reports/alert-pulse/week-2026-10-12 "Oct 12 – 18, 2026")[Try freeFree 7\-day trial](https://bepreparedsolutions.co/trial?source=alert-pulse&utm_source=alert-pulse&utm_medium=report&utm_campaign=week-2026-10-19&utm_content=masthead&returnTo=%2Freports%2Falert-pulse%2Fweek-2026-10-19) Alert Pulse · Weekly report · Oct 19 – 25, 2026 # Floods and a tornado hit the Southwest as overwash closes Hatteras roads Flooding drove families from homes across the Four Corners and Socorro County. In Arizona, a tornado injured a bicyclist; on Hatteras Island, damaged pavement brought emergency ferries. [4](#hatteras-overwash "Coastal flooding in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, October 19 to 22")[3](#heber-overgaard-tornado "Tornadoes and severe storms in the Southwest, October 21 to 22")[1](#four-corners-flooding "Flash flooding in the Southwest and Rockies, October 21 to 25")[2](#socorro-county-flooding "River flooding in New Mexico, October 25") Oct 19 – 25, 2026 · 3,742 warnings0% per day vs Oct 12 – 18, 2026Each story below, on the day it peaked - Flash flooding · Oct 21–25 the Southwest 8 orders to leave came from county agencies - Tornadoes and severe storms · Oct 22–23 Arizona and New Mexico Gusts to 70 mph Named in the warnings: Marquez, Cebolletita, Seboyeta - Tornadoes and severe storms · Oct 21–22 the Southwest Gusts to 70 mph Named in the warnings: Fort Valley, Bellemont, Government Prairie - River flooding · Oct 25 New Mexico 3 orders to leave came from county agencies - Coastal flooding · Oct 19–22 North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland A county agency told people to leave Warnings and evacuation orders told residents to seek safety, but could not keep floodwater out of homes or roads open. [Read the week](#four-corners-flooding) ## Where the week happened Each numbered area is one of the stories below, drawn over the counties its warnings covered. - Flash flooding in the Southwest, Oct 21–25 - River flooding in New Mexico, Oct 25 - Tornadoes and severe storms in the Southwest, Oct 21–22 - Coastal flooding in North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland, Oct 19–22 Fig. 1. The counties each story covered, numbered as the report tells them. Colour groups the hazard: water, heat and fire, storms. Counties are the smallest area these warnings describe. The same areas as a list - **1.** Flash flooding in the Southwest and Rockies, October 21 to 25 · Water · 54 counties drawn - **2.** River flooding in New Mexico, October 25 · Water · 1 counties drawn - **3.** Tornadoes and severe storms in the Southwest, October 21 to 22 · Storms · 21 counties drawn - **4.** Coastal flooding in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, October 19 to 22 · Water · 8 counties drawn Figure 02 ### When it happened Each square is one day of the week, shaded by how many warnings went out.Shade is warnings that day. A number is the story it belongs to on the map. A ring marks a day on which news or officials reported what the event did to people. - Fewer warnings - More warnings - Impact on people reported View as a table | Day | Warnings | Story on the map | Documented impact on people | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 19 | 270 | 4 | Yes | | Oct 20 | 271 | 4 | Yes | | Oct 21 | 509 | 1, 3, 4 | Yes | | Oct 22 | 920 | 1, 3, 4 | Yes | | Oct 23 | 822 | 1 | Yes | | Oct 24 | 515 | 1 | Yes | | Oct 25 | 435 | 1, 2 | Yes | ## [1](#the-map)Floods drive Bloomfield families from home and wash out Four Corners roads ![A man stands knee-deep in muddy floodwater beside sheds and stacked blocks, with red desert hills in the background.](https://navajotimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/SC_rockpoint04.jpg) [Appeared on Navajo Times](https://navajotimes.com/reznews/floods-strand-families-force-rescues-as-san-juan-river-nears-major-flood-stage/) 1. OCT 21, 2 PM UTC First warning Kane County, Utah 2. OCT 21, 2 PM UTC Considerable threat Kane County, Utah 3. OCT 21, 5 PM UTC County order Emery County, Utah 4. OCT 21, 8 PM UTC County order San Juan County, Utah 5. OCT 22, 11 AM UTC County order Emery County, Utah 6. OCT 26, 12 AM UTC Last warning San Juan County, New Mexico - Flash flooding — coloured as water. 54 counties in the Southwest, Oct 21–25. At the McGee Park emergency shelter, Bloomfield resident Dennis Alexander described losing his possessions to flooding in an October 24 Albuquerque Journal report. “Totally lost everything.” His displacement was part of the Four Corners flooding marked 1 on the map, where families needed rescue and rising water broke road connections between communities. The warning sequence began in Kane County, Utah, on the morning of October 21 with a flash flood warning carrying a considerable damage threat. The following day, San Juan County, Utah, issued this instruction: “San Juan County Flood Alert Avoid washes and flooded roads. Move to higher ground.” Farther south, responders were already reaching stranded families. Navajo Police told the Navajo Times that rescuers brought 30 people to safety in Dennehotso, Arizona, that day, using an all-terrain rescue vehicle and a helicopter. By October 23, Source New Mexico reported at least 60 swift-water rescues in San Juan County, New Mexico, since the previous day, citing a weather service database containing sheriff’s office figures. The same report gave an early estimate of approximately 1,500 damaged homes between Farmington and Bloomfield. That was not a final assessment: county officials subsequently told the Associated Press that official totals for damaged homes and evacuees remained unavailable. In Colorado that Friday, Rio Grande County ordered: “Evacuate NOW. Wolf Creek Ranch to Fun Valley”. The Associated Press reported floodwater surrounding trailers at the Fun Valley campground in South Fork. On October 24, residents of Bluff, Montezuma Creek and Aneth were evacuated as the San Juan River flooded, according to the San Juan Record. The paper also reported that flooding closed the Montezuma Creek bridge during the emergency. By the following day, the Colorado Department of Transportation reported that water had washed away a segment of Highway 151 south of Chimney Rock, leaving the route impassable within the closure and requiring emergency reconstruction. Separately, the Santa Fe County sheriff’s office reported one flooding death on October 24 after a vehicle attempted to cross a flooded arroyo, according to the Associated Press. That death occurred outside San Juan County, where officials told the AP the following day that they were unaware of deaths and still lacked official damage and evacuation totals. [Flood alerts by the numbers](https://bepreparedsolutions.co/flood-preparedness#flood-statistics): every published month, by state and county. ## [2](#the-map)Floodwaters kill a woman and trap residents in Socorro County 1. OCT 25, 11 PM UTC County order Socorro County, New Mexico 2. OCT 25, 11 PM UTC County order Socorro County, New Mexico 3. OCT 25, 11 PM UTC County order Socorro County, New Mexico - River flooding — coloured as water. 1 county in New Mexico, Oct 25. In Socorro County on the evening of October 25, flooding trapped residents in their homes and prompted evacuations, according to accounts from the Associated Press and KOAT. The emergency in the San Francisco area, marked 2 on the map, continued into an overnight search for people who needed help. That evening, Socorro County’s emergency messages moved from preparation to evacuation. At 5:01 p.m. local time, the county told San Francisco residents to be ready to leave. At 5:38 p.m., it told them to get set to evacuate. At 5:53 p.m., the county issued the order: “SCOEM: RIVER FLOODING in San Francisco area. EVACUATE NOW.” Responders evacuated residents that evening, and emergency management directed people leaving San Francisco to Finley Gym in Socorro, KOAT reported. Travel was also disrupted. In its follow-up report the next day, KOAT said flooding had closed U.S. Highway 60 immediately east of Interstate 25. Finley Gym opened as an evacuation shelter while responders conducted water rescues in the area. The overnight operation could not bring everyone to safety. The Associated Press reported the next day that one woman died after floodwater swept her away in Socorro County. Valencia County Fire Chief Matthew Propp told the AP that nine other people were rescued as teams searched overnight. [Flood alerts by the numbers](https://bepreparedsolutions.co/flood-preparedness#flood-statistics): every published month, by state and county. ## [3](#the-map)An EF1 tornado damages homes in Heber-Overgaard 1. OCT 21, 12 PM UTC First warning Coconino County, Arizona 2. OCT 22, 12 PM UTC Last warning Gila County, Arizona - Tornadoes and severe storms — coloured as storms. 21 counties in the Southwest, Oct 21–22. In Heber-Overgaard on October 21, a bicyclist caught and thrown by the storm was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, KNAU reported. The community’s damaged homes and displaced residents became the focus of the Arizona storm story marked 3 on the map. Earlier that morning, a tornado warning had gone out for Coconino County at 5:19 a.m. local time. The regional warnings named places including Bellemont and Flagstaff, but those messages alone do not establish what warning the bicyclist received. The National Weather Service later confirmed that an EF1 tornado damaged homes and buildings in Heber-Overgaard, according to KNAU. In the initial assessment after the storm, Navajo County Sheriff David Clouse gave Arizona’s Family a preliminary count of 20 to 30 affected structures in Heber-Overgaard, emphasizing that assessments were unfinished. A homeowner identified as Paul told the outlet, “We were sitting and the house was shaking when the tornado came through”. Trees damaged his roof and fence. By October 22, a reception center had opened at the Navajo County Heber Complex and a Red Cross shelter at Capps Middle School for displaced residents, KNAU reported. Responders assessed damage and dealt with damaged propane tanks and fallen power lines. Residents also cleared fallen trees from Forest Service Road 51, according to Arizona’s Family. At that morning’s briefing, the fire chief reported no fatalities or serious injuries, KNAU said. [Tornado alerts by the numbers](https://bepreparedsolutions.co/tornado-preparedness#tornado-statistics): every published month, by state and county. ## [4](#the-map)Ocean overwash damages the Hatteras highway and brings emergency ferries 1. OCT 19, 12 AM UTC First warning Hyde County, North Carolina 2. OCT 19, 1 PM UTC County order Dare County, North Carolina 3. OCT 23, 12 AM UTC Last warning Hyde County, North Carolina - Coastal flooding — coloured as water. 8 counties in North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland, Oct 19–22. Near the Pea Island Visitor Center on October 21, approximately 800 feet of highway pavement had been damaged overnight, North Carolina transportation representative Jamie Kritzer told WAVY. The damaged stretch was part of the Hatteras Island travel disruption marked 4 on the map. With the road impassable, residents would turn to emergency ferries the following morning. Hyde County was under a coastal flood warning by the evening of October 18. The next morning, Dare County Emergency Management sent this message: “DARE COUNTY UNDER STATE OF EMERGENCY - HATTERAS ISLAND VISITORS ORDERED TO EVACUATE”. The county said the mandatory visitor evacuation remained in effect and entry remained closed to visitors. It also reported beach erosion and ocean overwash on side streets around Rodanthe. Archived alert · Oct 19 – 25, 2026Sent October 19, 2026 · NWS Newport/Morehead City NC > For the Coastal Flood Warning, 2 to 4 feet of inundation above ground level in low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways. For the High Surf Advisory, large breaking waves of 6 to 9 feet in the surf zone. For the Beach Hazards… On October 22, the highway remained closed between the Marc Basnight Bridge and Rodanthe, with no estimated reopening date, the Island Free Press reported. Emergency ferry service between Rodanthe and Stumpy Point began at 5 a.m. to reconnect the island with the mainland. State transportation officials restricted island-bound service to eligible residents, property owners, workers and essential personnel, excluding visitors. The governor’s office reported on October 22 that overwash had removed more than 1,800 feet of protective dunes near the Pea Island Visitor Center. Crews worked to rebuild dunes and remove sand from the highway. Additional pavement and dune damage had occurred overnight, but revised measurements were not yet available, according to the Island Free Press. No death or injury was reported in the official updates and news coverage reviewed for this coastal flooding. Amid the travel restrictions, school officials, the sheriff’s office and local fire departments helped the Cape Hatteras volleyball team leave the island for its October 21 playoff game, The Outer Banks Voice reported. Board of Education chair David Twiddy told the publication: “Despite the transportation challenges, these student athletes and coaches are on their way thanks to the efforts of many dedicated people.” [Flood alerts by the numbers](https://bepreparedsolutions.co/flood-preparedness#flood-statistics): every published month, by state and county. ## How BePrepared monitors this, all year This report exists because we already monitor the whole country. Every couple of minutes, around the clock, we read the emergency alerts going out across all fifty states and territories, and we keep them. A month of that record is what you have just read. The national picture is the part most people never see. What matters to you is much smaller: which of these warnings would have reached your street, and what the risks around you look like on an ordinary day. That is what BePrepared is for. Put in your ZIP code and you get the picture for where you live — the flood, fire and storm history around you, the dams and facilities nearby, and a plan for your household rather than a general one. With a free account you can keep a watchlist of the places you care about, like your home, your parents' address, and your kids' school, and set what you want to hear about. ## Where it hit hardest Counted as distinct warnings, and as the days a county spent under one. A county is the smallest area these warnings describe. ### Warnings by region - Southwest434 - Rockies42 - Texas22 - California12 - Alaska10 ### Most days under a warning - Volusia County, FL8 days Volusia County, FL was under a warning on: Oct 19, Oct 20, Oct 21, Oct 22, Oct 23, Oct 24, Oct 25, Oct 26 - Yukon-Koyukuk, AK8 days Yukon-Koyukuk, AK was under a warning on: Oct 19, Oct 20, Oct 21, Oct 22, Oct 23, Oct 24, Oct 25, Oct 26 - Brantley County, GA8 days Brantley County, GA was under a warning on: Oct 19, Oct 20, Oct 21, Oct 22, Oct 23, Oct 24, Oct 25, Oct 26 - Lake County, FL8 days Lake County, FL was under a warning on: Oct 19, Oct 20, Oct 21, Oct 22, Oct 23, Oct 24, Oct 25, Oct 26 - Navajo County, AZ6 days Navajo County, AZ was under a warning on: Oct 21, Oct 22, Oct 23, Oct 24, Oct 25, Oct 26 - Coconino County, AZ6 days Coconino County, AZ was under a warning on: Oct 21, Oct 22, Oct 23, Oct 24, Oct 25, Oct 26 - Cibola County, NM6 days Cibola County, NM was under a warning on: Oct 21, Oct 22, Oct 23, Oct 24, Oct 25, Oct 26 - Rio Arriba County, NM6 days Rio Arriba County, NM was under a warning on: Oct 21, Oct 22, Oct 23, Oct 24, Oct 25, Oct 26 Figure 03[Embed this chart](#use-these-figures) ### Where the warnings landed Every county that received a warning this week, coloured and scaled by how many; the faint dots received none.1,253 of the country's counties received at least one warning; the faint dots are the counties that received none, and a quiet county is not a safe county. Each county wears its MOST frequent kind of warning and its dot scales with how many it received; the month's three biggest kinds carry color and every other kind wears gray, with the panels below giving each kind its own map. The full per-county mix is in the CSV. 482 warned areas — marine zones and territories — have no county position on this map, about 26% of county-level warning volume. They are still counted in every figure and table. - Flooding - Severe storms - Winter - Everything else Flooding1,776 warnings · 218 counties Severe storms1,230 warnings · 60 counties Winter316 warnings · 116 counties Safety & civil165 warnings · 71 counties Tornadoes96 warnings · 21 counties Fire51 warnings · 18 counties View as a table | County | State | Warnings | Most frequent kind | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Sandoval | NM | 155 | Severe storms | | Coconino | AZ | 123 | Severe storms | | Navajo | AZ | 120 | Severe storms | | Cibola | NM | 117 | Flooding | | San Juan | NM | 115 | Flooding | | Graham | AZ | 111 | Severe storms | | Gila | AZ | 100 | Severe storms | | McKinley | NM | 100 | Flooding | | San Juan | UT | 89 | Flooding | | Rio Arriba | NM | 86 | Severe storms | | Yavapai | AZ | 84 | Severe storms | | Washington | UT | 83 | Everything else | | Apache | AZ | 81 | Severe storms | | Kane | UT | 70 | Everything else | | Socorro | NM | 69 | Everything else | | Grant | NM | 68 | Severe storms | | Maricopa | AZ | 65 | Severe storms | | Rio Grande | CO | 62 | Flooding | | Valencia | NM | 62 | Everything else | | Catron | NM | 60 | Severe storms | The human record ## What it cost, and who reported it These figures are not ours. Our archive records that a warning was issued, never what happened next, so every number here comes from the organization named beside it and was retrieved on October 27, 2026. - Toll 1death The Santa Fe County sheriff's office reported one flooding death on October 24 after a vehicle attempted to cross a flooded arroyo. Source: [Associated Press via The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/new-mexico-colorado-four-corners-national-weather-service-utah-b3073655.html) - Toll approximately1,500homes damaged Source New Mexico reported an estimated 1,500 homes damaged between Farmington and Bloomfield, citing a National Weather Service database containing San Juan County Sheriff's Office figures. Source: [Source New Mexico](https://sourcenm.com/2026/10/23/a-terrible-crisis-san-juan-county-officials-describe-widespread-flooding-impacts/) ArchiveOur records place this event in New Mexico between 2026-10-21 and 2026-10-25. - Toll On October 25, San Juan County spokesperson Devin Neeley told the Associated Press that official totals for damaged homes and evacuated people were not available and officials were unaware of deaths in the county. Source: [Associated Press via Local 10](https://www.local10.com/news/2026/10/25/more-flooding-in-four-corners-region-after-storms-bring-heavy-rain-and-at-least-one-tornado/) ArchiveOur records show flash flooding warnings covering this area on October 25. - Displaced Residents of Bluff, Montezuma Creek and Aneth, Utah, were evacuated on October 24 as the San Juan River flooded. Source: [San Juan Record](https://www.sjrnews.com/node/51594) ArchiveOur records show flash flooding warnings covering this area on October 24. - Rescue at least60people rescued The same database recorded swift-water rescues of at least 60 people since October 22, and county spokesperson Devin Neeley told Source New Mexico that the actual number could be higher. Source: [Source New Mexico](https://sourcenm.com/2026/10/23/a-terrible-crisis-san-juan-county-officials-describe-widespread-flooding-impacts/) ArchiveOur records show flash flooding warnings covering this area on October 22. - Toll 1death One woman died after floodwaters swept her away in Socorro County during the flooding that trapped residents in their homes. Source: [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/four-corners-flooding-storm-river-evacuations-a91e683f54e41eb3fe8c03863a502d21) - Displaced Responders evacuated residents on October 25, and county emergency management directed San Francisco evacuees to Finley Gym in Socorro. Source: [KOAT](https://www.koat.com/article/socorro-county-residents-evacuated-as-rio-puerco-overflows/74243401) - Rescue 9people rescued Valencia County Fire Chief Matthew Propp said nine other people were rescued in Socorro County as teams searched for residents overnight. Source: [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/four-corners-flooding-storm-river-evacuations-a91e683f54e41eb3fe8c03863a502d21) - Closed Flooding closed U.S. Highway 60 immediately east of Interstate 25. Source: [KOAT](https://www.koat.com/article/rio-puerco-flooding-socorro-county-rescue/74250490) - Response Finley Gym in Socorro opened as an evacuation shelter. Source: [KOAT](https://www.koat.com/article/rio-puerco-flooding-socorro-county-rescue/74250490) - Toll 1person hospitalized A bicyclist caught and thrown by the October 21 storm in Heber-Overgaard was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Source: [KNAU](https://www.knau.org/knau-and-arizona-news/2026-10-22/possible-tornado-hits-heber-overgaard-causing-damage-and-injuries) - Toll 0fatalities reported Heber-Overgaard Fire Chief Jason Payne reported no fatalities or serious injuries during the October 22 media briefing covered by KNAU. > “No fatalities or serious injuries.” Jason Payne, Heber-Overgaard fire chief, to KNAU Source: [KNAU](https://www.knau.org/knau-and-arizona-news/2026-10-22/possible-tornado-hits-heber-overgaard-causing-damage-and-injuries) - Displaced A reception center opened at the Navajo County Heber Complex and a Red Cross shelter opened at Capps Middle School for residents displaced by the storm. Source: [KNAU](https://www.knau.org/knau-and-arizona-news/2026-10-22/possible-tornado-hits-heber-overgaard-causing-damage-and-injuries) - Displaced Families displaced by the Dennehotso flooding stayed at the chapter house or a local church while food, water, blankets and other supplies were distributed. Source: [Navajo Times](https://navajotimes.com/reznews/flooding-forces-rescues-leaves-dennehotso-families-displaced/) - Rescue 30 people from 7 families rescued Authorities rescued 30 people from seven families from flooded homes in Dennehotso on October 22. Source: [Arizona's Family](https://www.azfamily.com/2026/10/23/30-rescued-homes-after-devastating-flooding-navajo-nation/) - Damage Approximately800feet of highway pavement damaged NCDOT representative Jamie Kritzer told WAVY that approximately 800 feet of pavement near the Pea Island Visitor Center had been damaged overnight. > “We have seen pavement damage overnight about 800 feet worth in that stretch of road near the Pea Island Visitor Center” Jamie Kritzer, North Carolina Department of Transportation representative, to WAVY Source: [WAVY, republished by AOL](https://www.aol.com/articles/nc-12-damaged-again-2-230222000.html) - Damage More than1,800feet of protective dunes lost The governor's office reported that ocean overwash had removed more than 1,800 feet of protective dunes near the Pea Island Visitor Center. Source: [Office of the Governor of North Carolina](https://governor.nc.gov/news/press-releases/2026/10/22/governor-stein-issues-state-emergency-nc-12-following-back-back-coastal-storms) - Damage Additional pavement and dune damage occurred Wednesday night near the Pea Island Visitor Center, but NCDOT had not released revised measurements by October 22. Source: [Island Free Press](https://islandfreepress.org/outer-banks-news/update-more-damage-reported-on-n-c-12-as-coastal-flooding-continues-thursday-morning-emergency-ferries-operating/) - Damage Dare County reported substantial beach erosion and ocean overwash on side streets from Mirlo Beach through Rodanthe and near the Pea Island Visitor Center. Source: [Dare County, North Carolina](https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/NCDARECOUNTY/bulletins/42fa972) - Damage Minor ocean overwash occurred on Ocracoke overnight October 21–22, but N.C. 12 remained open and no highway closure was necessary. Source: [Island Free Press](https://islandfreepress.org/outer-banks-news/update-more-damage-reported-on-n-c-12-as-coastal-flooding-continues-thursday-morning-emergency-ferries-operating/) For one of these stories, research looked for reported deaths and injuries and found none. As far as the record shows, no one was hurt. BePrepared ## 3,742 warnings across the country in Oct 19 – 25, 2026. See which reach your street. We read the emergency alerts going out across all fifty states, around the clock. That is where this report comes from. Enter your ZIP and get the version that matters to you: the flood, fire and storm history around your address, what sits nearby, and a plan built for your household. [Start your free 7-day trial](https://bepreparedsolutions.co/trial?source=alert-pulse&utm_source=alert-pulse&utm_medium=report&utm_campaign=week-2026-10-19&utm_content=card&returnTo=%2Freports%2Falert-pulse%2Fweek-2026-10-19) No card. It ends on its own. [Or just look up your ZIP](https://bepreparedsolutions.co/zip) The numbers behind this report Every warning counted once, by type, place, day and hour, with the method below and the whole table downloadable at the end of the page. Distinct warnings 3,742 carried by 8,523 messages (2.28× echo) Counties reached 1,735 across 48 states and territories Overnight 957 10pm–6am local · 33 of the most severe Effective on arrival 99% take effect the moment they are sent ### What was warned about | Alert type | Warnings | Messages | | --- | --- | --- | | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 740 | 740 | | Small Craft Advisory | 532 | 2,536 | | Special Weather Statement | 444 | 445 | | Flood Warning | 317 | 317 | | Flash Flood Warning | 171 | 171 | | Flood Advisory | 167 | 167 | | Dense Fog Advisory | 162 | 237 | | Coastal Flood Advisory | 117 | 541 | ### Where | State | Warnings | | --- | --- | | NM | 678 | | AZ | 575 | | CA | 253 | | CO | 231 | | AK | 156 | | UT | 146 | | FL | 101 | | NC | 63 | The busiest hour of the period was 6pm local time, with 247 warnings. ### Counties reached most often | County | State | Warnings | | --- | --- | --- | | Sandoval | NM | 155 | | Coconino | AZ | 123 | | Navajo | AZ | 120 | | Cibola | NM | 117 | | San Juan | NM | 115 | | Graham | AZ | 111 | | Gila | AZ | 100 | | McKinley | NM | 100 | | San Juan | UT | 89 | | Rio Arriba | NM | 86 | A county with no alerts is not a county with no risk. It can mean a quiet period, or a hazard that this feed does not carry. Figure 04[Embed this chart](#use-these-figures) ### When the warnings arrived Distinct warnings by the local hour they were sent, across the whole period.Local time in the place each alert was sent to. 957 arrived between 10pm and 6am, 33 of them at the highest severity. View as a table | Local hour | Warnings | Of which most severe | | --- | --- | --- | | 12am | 86 | 2 | | 1am | 115 | 1 | | 2am | 134 | 6 | | 3am | 131 | 2 | | 4am | 106 | 3 | | 5am | 128 | 11 | | 6am | 130 | 1 | | 7am | 95 | 2 | | 8am | 121 | 3 | | 9am | 139 | 7 | | 10am | 118 | 8 | | 11am | 178 | 16 | | 12pm | 151 | 7 | | 1pm | 210 | 7 | | 2pm | 217 | 10 | | 3pm | 243 | 10 | | 4pm | 226 | 13 | | 5pm | 236 | 10 | | 6pm | 247 | 5 | | 7pm | 196 | 14 | | 8pm | 158 | 3 | | 9pm | 120 | 2 | | 10pm | 130 | 4 | | 11pm | 127 | 4 | Figure 05[Embed this chart](#use-these-figures) ### The feed repeats itself How many messages the feed carried, how many distinct warnings they represent, and how many counties those reached.An echo rate of 2.28× — for every warning issued, 2.28 messages carried it. Reporting messages as warnings would overstate this week by 4,781. View as a table | Stage | Count | | --- | --- | | Messages received | 8,523 | | Of which updates | 5,244 | | Of which cancels | 0 | | Distinct warnings | 3,742 | | Counties reached | 1,735 | Figure 06[Embed this chart](#use-these-figures) ### How severe they were Distinct warnings by the severity the issuing agency assigned. - Minor - Moderate - Severe - Extreme - Not classified View as a table | Severity | Warnings | | --- | --- | | Minor | 1,048 | | Moderate | 939 | | Severe | 1,589 | | Extreme | 151 | | Not classified | 15 | Figure 07[Embed this chart](#use-these-figures) ### What people were told to do The share of warnings carrying each instruction to the public.These are response counts. They record the instruction an alert carried, not the hazard behind it. - Avoid - Shelter - Follow instructions - Everything else Where those instructions came from - Shelter (792) — 112 corroborated as flood, 291 corroborated as tornado, 4 corroborated as wildfire, 1 corroborated as hurricane, 384 with no hazard stated in the alert text - Evacuate (7) — 6 corroborated as flood, 1 with no hazard stated in the alert text View as a table | Response | Warnings | Share | | --- | --- | --- | | Avoid | 1,535 | 41.0% | | Shelter | 792 | 21.2% | | Follow instructions | 731 | 19.5% | | Prepare | 344 | 9.2% | | Monitor | 248 | 6.6% | | Unstated | 82 | 2.2% | | Evacuate | 7 | 0.2% | | All clear | 3 | 0.1% | ### What this report cannot tell you - This report records the warnings that were sent: when, where, and what people were told to do. It cannot say whether anyone received them, whether they acted, or whether they had anywhere to go. - Deaths, injuries, damage and acreage come from the news organizations and agencies named beside each figure. Our own records measure warnings, never outcomes, and are never the source for a toll. - A county is the smallest area these alerts describe, so "a county was warned" does not mean every street in it was at risk. - Where no figure has been reported, this report says so rather than estimating. ## How these numbers were counted Counted OCT 19, 2026 – OCT 26, 2026 · Frozen at publish The alert figures in this report — how many warnings, where, when, and how severe — come from the alerts this archive received from FEMA IPAWS and the National Weather Service between October 19, 2026 and October 26, 2026, counted once and frozen when the report was published. Deaths, damage and acreage are **not** ours and are never drawn from this archive. Each is attributed to the organization that reported it, above. ### What was counted - cap\_status = 'Actual' (tests, exercises and demos excluded) - SAME test codes RWT/RMT/DMO/NPT/NAT excluded, and any event type containing "test" - An event is the first message of a CAP identifier chain; updates and cancels are counted separately - Alert time is cap\_sent, falling back to ingest time when the feed omits it - Counties come from the alert geocodes (SAME/FIPS); statewide codes are not counted as counties ### What these numbers cannot tell you - Lead time is the gap between when an alert was sent and when it takes effect. This archive collapses CAP onset into effective, so for many products those are the same instant by design — it is not a measure of forecast warning time. - 46 alerts expire exactly 24 hours after they were sent because the feed omitted an expiry and the ingest substitutes a default. They are excluded from the duration distribution rather than charted as real forecasts. - Evacuation and shelter figures are RESPONSE counts. They record what people were told to do, not what caused it; where the alert text does not name a hazard, the row is reported as unstated. - Hour-of-day figures use each alert’s own local time, resolved from its state. Alerts spanning several states resolve to the first state in their geocodes. - National Weather Service alerts began arriving in volume on 2026-06-12. Earlier months hold only the handful that reached this archive by other routes, so they undercount weather alerts badly and cannot be compared with later months. - Population figures are not available for these counties, so alert counts are reported per county and never per resident. ### This archive Collection began 2026-03-27. National Weather Service alerts began arriving in volume on 2026-06-12 (a small number reached the archive by other routes from 2026-03-31). Months from 2026-07-01 onward can be compared with each other; earlier ones cannot. ### Photographs The photos come from the reporting each story cites, or from public-domain and openly licensed collections. Each is credited as published and links to the page it came from; none belongs to BePrepared, and each is shown uncropped. To ask for a photo to be removed, write to [support@bepreparedsolutions.co](mailto:support@bepreparedsolutions.co). For newsrooms and researchers ## Use these figures Figures v1 · Frozen Journalists, emergency managers and researchers are welcome to reuse anything in this report, including the underlying counts, with attribution. Version 1 of these figures is frozen: if a correction changes them, it appears above as a dated note rather than silently replacing what you cited. [Download the figures (CSV)](https://bepreparedsolutions.co/reports/alert-pulse/week-2026-10-19/data.csv?v=1)[Ask about the data](mailto:hello@bepreparedsolutions.co?subject=Alert%20Pulse%20data%20question) Cite this report BePreparedSolutions.co. "Floods and a tornado hit the Southwest as overwash closes Hatteras roads." Alert Pulse, October 27, 2026. https://bepreparedsolutions.co/reports/alert-pulse/week-2026-10-19 Attribution line for a chart or table Source: BePrepared Solutions, Alert Pulse (2026). Alert counts from FEMA IPAWS and National Weather Service feeds; casualty and damage figures as attributed in the report. Embed a chartWhere the warnings landedWhen the warnings arrivedMessages, warnings, countiesHow severe they wereWhat people were told to do Paste this where the chart should appear The embed updates itself if we publish a correction, so it never goes stale the way a screenshot does. The CSV carries the same frozen figures as this page, keyed to version 1. --- _Guidance here is general and cannot account for your circumstances. In an active emergency, official instructions from local authorities take precedence over anything published by BePrepared Solutions._