BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — Colorado’s foothills were hit by hurricane-force winds Friday morning, with gusts reaching 112 mph in Boulder County. The storm caused damage, outages, fires, and travel disruptions, but no injuries were reported.
Earlier in the week, on Wednesday afternoon and evening, a previous windstorm brought gusts up to 109 mph, knocking down trees and power lines and sparking fires near Yuma.
No serious injuries were reported from the fires near Yuma. Authorities believe no homes were lost. All fires were contained by Thursday night after burning just over 14,000 acres.
Power outages
Xcel Energy carried out another public safety power shutoff (PSPS) on Friday in response to hurricane-strength winds in the Front Range foothills, as crews worked around the clock to restore power to thousands of customers after initiating a Wednesday PSPS.
Xcel said PSPS conditions subsided as of 5 a.m. Saturday. However, about 57,207 Xcel customers were still without power.
The utility company said it's aiming to restore power to customers by 10 p.m. Saturday, but warned that the outage could extend into Sunday for some customers.
“The safety of crew members is paramount as they work to restore power. Xcel Energy asks customers to help keep crew members safe as they work diligently to restore power as quickly as possible,” wrote Xcel Energy in a release.
Xcel said it has identified 396 customers who have been without power since the initial outage on Wednesday. The company said these customers are being prioritized as restoration efforts continue followed by other high-needs areas.
Xcel set up resource centers and charging stations in Evergreen, Gilpin County, Lakewood, and Idaho Springs.
On Saturday, Gov. Jared Polis urged residents to avoid directing their frustration at Xcel’s frontline crews over ongoing outages, saying workers are working long hours to restore service.
“As many Coloradans await the return of power to their homes and communities, I want to urge everyone not to take their frustrations with power being out on the hardworking men and women who make up the Xcel crews. The company and its crews are working around the clock to ensure our safety and to restore power. While I have expressed great frustration with Xcel and there’s much room for improvement in communications about what’s going on and timelines, I am grateful for Xcel’s frontline workers and all those people working to restore people’s power. Please thank them if you see them,” Polis said in a statement.
CORE Electric Cooperative, which provides power to parts of Clear Creek, Jefferson, and Park counties, said that 9,281 customers lost power during Friday's storm.
CORE said the return of service for most members will likely not occur until later in the day on Saturday, as more favorable weather will help with restoration efforts. However, strong winds are still expected, and many trees have been weakened during the storm.
Damage and closures
Reports of downed trees, power lines, and street poles in and around Boulder and across the foothills during Friday’s wind event flooded emergency dispatch.
In Longmont, Friday’s windstorm severely damaged the roof of Longmont Climbing Collective, 155 Pinnacle Street, prompting the closure of the business as crews work to replace the roof.
Longmont Climbing Collective said in a Facebook post that it hopes to reopen Sunday or Monday, but it may take longer. No injuries were reported.
Downed trees and street poles blocked roads and trails across Boulder County, causing major closures, including portions of CO 72, CO 93, US 36, and CO 128. But some reopened by nightfall.
In the Allenspark area of Boulder County, a propane tanker on CO 7 rolled over after hitting black ice on Friday, trapping the occupants and prompting an evacuation and the closure of the highway.
According to the Allenspark Fire Protection District, high winds and leaking diesel fuel at the crash scene made the situation particularly sensitive and extended the time needed to resolve it.
Due to concerns about possible propane leakage, residents and businesses were evacuated. However, no propane leakage was ultimately found.
No major injuries were reported.
Friday’s storm also closed schools across Boulder and Jefferson counties, as well as Evergreen.
Here are the top 10 wind speeds recorded on Friday from the National Weather Service:
- 112 MPH — 3 NW Marshall, Boulder, CO
- 110 MPH — Sunshine, Boulder, CO
- 102 MPH — 2 WNW Niwot, Boulder, CO
- 99 MPH — 1 NE Crisman, Boulder, CO
- 97 MPH — 1 S Wallstreet, Boulder, CO
- 96 MPH — 2 SW Hygiene, Boulder, CO
- 95 MPH — 1 NE Crisman, Boulder, CO
- 95 MPH — 3 S Carter Lake, Larimer, CO
- 94 MPH — 3 N Berthoud Pass, Grand, CO
- 92 MPH — 5 N Boulder, Boulder, CO
DIA impacts
Friday’s strong winds created a rough start to the December holiday travel season at Denver International Airport.
FlightAware reported more than 1,200 delays at DIA on Friday—the most nationwide—along with more than 80 cancellations.
On Saturday, the numbers dropped considerably, resulting in only 88 reported delays.
Several pilots reported moderate-to-severe or even severe turbulence on Friday.
The Federal Aviation Administration defines turbulence as "severe" when it “causes large, abrupt changes in altitude and/or attitude. It usually causes large variations in indicated airspeed. Aircraft may be momentarily out of control.”
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