Xcel is shutting down power today for 50,000 customers along the Front Range to reduce the risk of wildfire amid high winds and ultra dry conditions.
The public safety power shutoff will begin around 10 a.m. and affect residents in Boulder, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties. Denver County is not expected to be impacted.
The company expects extreme conditions to improve around 6 p.m. Wednesday, and officials said they will work to return power as soon as possible.
Much of the Front Range is under a red flag warning Wednesday morning, with high winds forecast to gust as high as 85 mph. Xcel warns of the risk of downed power lines. The dry conditions and high winds are similar to conditions that sparked the Marshall Fire in 2021.
Many schools are closed today in anticipation of the shutoff, including Boulder, Clear Creek, Weld, and Jefferson county districts.
In a morning announcement, Xcel officials said hundreds of power crew members were positioned along the Front Range, ready to restore power as soon as possible.
Customers are encouraged to report any damage they see to power lines, stay clear of downed lines, and if they are outside the shutdown area, to report any outages.
Xcel officials said they are working with the Red Cross to set up community “comfort centers” where residents can access power, and will announce more details about where they are located later Wednesday on their website. These centers may be resources for residents dependent on medical equipment that require power, or families with children at home who have no heat due to the shutoff.
However, the company said to expect outages again on Friday beginning as early as 6 a.m., due to continued weather conditions and fire risk. In a press release the company said Friday’s storm may overlap with some communities impacted by today's severe weather, and as a result some areas may be without power for more than three days.
