Xcel Energy warned Front Range customers early Tuesday to prepare for possible power outages Wednesday as strong winds move into the region, noting that outages are likely.
The Pinpoint Weather team said the strongest winds are expected around noon Wednesday and could continue into the night, with a high wind warning and red flag in effect for the entire area, according to a FOX31 report.
“As Xcel Energy continues to prepare for high winds and the possibility of a public safety power outage (PSPS) tomorrow, December 17th, the company encourages customers to be prepared for outages,” Xcel Energy said.
Xcel said expected power outages should begin around noon and could affect customers in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties.
“It looks like a pretty formidable event,” said Scott Kleebauer, a forecaster at the U.S. Weather Forecast Center, Bloomberg reported. “It’s going to be a pretty windy day in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.”
An Xcel representative said Tuesday that the company was still determining the extent of the outages and would continue to assess the situation throughout the day.
What was once largely confined to California has spread across the country, with power companies across the U.S. increasingly turning off power to reduce the risk of fallen cables or damaged equipment igniting wildfires.
According to a 2024 report by Stanford University researchers, electric providers serving the roughly 24 million homes and businesses in the wildfire-prone western U.S. now have plans to proactively shut off power during periods of extreme fire danger.
A high-pressure system over the Four Corners region — where Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico meet — collides with low pressure over southern Canada, driving strong winds across the Rockies and into the Front Range. Gusts could reach speeds of up to 96 km/h, conditions that could cause power lines to sway or fall, potentially starting a fire.
Similar combinations of dry weather and strong winds have fueled devastating wildfires in the past. One example is the Marshall Fire, which ignited near Boulder on December 30, 2021, destroying more than 1,000 homes and dozens of commercial buildings and killing two people.
Although weather conditions are forecast to improve Wednesday evening, it could take several hours or days to restore power as crews must inspect lines and repair damage before power can be safely restored, according to Xcel.
(With inputs from Bloomberg)
