Five Colorado counties in metro Denver and along the Front Range are bracing Wednesday for potential power outages that could extend several days as Xcel Energy prepares to cut power ahead of a storm packing wind gusts up to 90 mph.
“You might need to prepare for a multiday event,” Robert Kenney, president of Xcel, said during a news conference Wednesday morning.
Utility officials are planning to cut power around 10 a.m. Wednesday to 50,000 customers in Boulder, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties in a step “to protect public safety,” Kenney said.
A second windstorm Friday could overlap with restoration efforts, after Wednesday’s winds subside, and result in some areas going without power for more than three days. Xcel said it is still evaluating the need for a second power shut-off Friday in mountain communities and the Front Range, starting as early as 6 a.m.
“Public safety power shut-off is a tool that we use when the most extreme weather conditions exist,” Kenney said. “So, in conjunction with all of our other wildfire mitigation efforts, we’re taking this step to protect public safety.”
Forecasters predict widespread wind gusts between 45 and 60 mph Wednesday across the Interstate 25 corridor and localized gusts up to 85 mph in areas west of the interstate. The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for critical fire weather conditions. If a fire sparks, the severely dry and windy conditions will cause it to become extreme.
A surge of the strongest winds is expected between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., the National Weather Service said.
Nearly 400 utility workers will work to restore power as soon as the strong winds subside, about 6 p.m. Wednesday, but 678 miles of power line must be visually inspected before doing so, Kenney said.
“If there’s a line that’s damaged during the wind event and it’s laying on the ground, we can’t just remotely re-energize that line without inspecting it visually because then you’ve just created the very risk that you’re seeking to mitigate,” Kenney said. “So we have to physically inspect what we’re anticipating just from the (public safety power shut-off) — 678 miles of line, miles of line on top of any additional damage that’s done during the storm.”
Xcel is warning customers that strong winds could cause other outages outside of the area impacted by the public safety power shut-off.
Red Cross and county emergency management offices will be setting up community centers where residents can charge their phones, get water and get warm, Kenney said.
Many schools have called a “wind day” and cancelled classes Wednesday, including Jeffco Public Schools, University of Colorado in Boulder, Poudre School District in Fort Collins and Clear Creek School District.
Xcel began analyzing forecasts and meteorological data, with officials from emergency management, starting Sunday, Kenney said.
This is a developing news story that will be updated.
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