DENVER — Around 67,000 Xcel Energy customers are waking up Friday without power across Boulder, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties as the energy company carries out another planned public safety power shutoff in response to strong wind gusts in the Front Range foothills.
Forecasters with the National Weather Service in Boulder said strong, sustained 45-55 mph winds with gusts upwards of 85-105 mph are expected in the foothills of Boulder and Jefferson counties beginning early Friday morning, with widespread critical fire weather conditions also in the forecast as relative humidity values drop into the low teens, and possibly upper single digits.
"The most extreme conditions are expected to be along Highway 93 from Jefferson County into Boulder County and along US 36 north of Boulder to the Larimer County line and westward," forecasters said. "There will be a high potential for fast moving wildfires, should any new starts occur."
Winds toward the I-25 Urban Corridor and eastward will be slower to develop and speeds will be considerably lighter, but gusts of 25-40 mph are still expected to combine with very low humidity, forecasters said.
A high wind warning impacting Fort Collins, Longmont, Boulder, and the western suburbs of Denver will go into effect from noon to 8 p.m. Friday. That same warning is in effect through 8 p.m. Friday for the mountains and foothills.
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Friday, December 19
9:30 a.m. | BOULDER CLOSURES | Due to high winds, CDOT has closed Highway 93 between Golden and Eldorado Springs, the Peak to Peak Highway (Highway 72) between Highway 7 and Nelson Street, and North Foothills Highway north of Boulder to Lyons.
In addition, Flagstaff Road is closed to everybody except residents who live along the road.
9:22 a.m. | DIA GROUND STOP| The FAA extended its ground stop at DIA through 10 a.m. Friday due to the wind.
8:45 a.m. | DIA DELAYS | There are 242 flights delayed in and out of Denver International Airport and 7 flights canceled Friday morning, according to FlightAware.
8:29 a.m. | DIA GROUND STOP | The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ground stop for Denver International Airport (DIA) until 9 a.m. Friday due to the wind. Departures and arrivals to DIA are delayed an one average 30 minutes, but that's increasing.
8:21 a.m. | TURN OFF SUPPLEMENTARY HEATERS | The Boulder Police Department asked residents impacted by Friday morning's power outages to turn off all supplementary heaters, including ovens, curling irons and any heat source within their homes that could go off and come back on.
Boulder police said the department has increased staffing and extended shifts to ensure officers are available throughout the second extreme wind event this week.
8 a.m. | BOULDER TRAILS | All of Boulder's Open Space and Mountain Parks properties are closed due to "unprecedented fire danger forecast."
5 a.m. | XCEL: 67,000 CUSTOMERS WITHOUT POWER FRIDAY MORNING | About 67,000 customers across Boulder, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties are waking up without power this morning as Xcel Energy carries out another public safety power shutoff (PSPS) in response to strong wind gusts in the Front Range foothills.
The PSPS comes after the NWS in Boulder issued a Particular Dangerous Situation weather bulletin for the foothills and along Highway 93 westard.
4:45 a.m. | SEVERAL SCHOOLS CLOSED | The Boulder Valley School District, Evergreen High School, and more than a dozen schools across Jefferson County are closed due to the ongoing power outage implemented by Xcel Energy.
Parents are advised to check with their school district's website to make sure classes are canceled at their kid's school.
4:30 a.m. | BOULDER COUNTY URGES PEOPLE TO STAY HOME | The Boulder County Office of Emergency Management is asking people to stay home and off the roads today as "wind conditions will be dangerously high," especially in areas west of Broadway in Boulder and along the foothills.
"There will be significant debris in the roads, including downed limbs and power lines, and some traffic signals will be out," officials said. "Police, Fire and Paramedics will benefit from less traffic on the roads so that they can respond more quickly to emergencies and life safety situations."
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