DENVER — High Wind and Red Flag warnings remain in effect across the Front Range and plains Thursday morning.
Boulder Valley Schools announced late Thursday that it will be closed on again on Friday due to ongoing power outages and other impacts from Wednesday's storm.
Jeffco Public Schools said some of its schools will also be closed on Thursday. A complete list of the schools impacted is available on the district's website.
Looking ahead, forecasters are warning that another round of strong gusts is possible on Friday, which could trigger additional power shutoffs.
LINKS: Closings and Delays | Latest forecast | Radars | Traffic | Weather Page | 24/7 Weather Stream
Colorado weather blog
Thursday, December 18
8:25 p.m. ► OPEN SPACE CLOSURE | The City of Boulder announced that all city-owned open space and mountain parks property would be closed from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m Friday as a safety measure amid the fire threat.
6 p.m. ► JEFFCO SCHOOL CLOSURES FRIDAY | Several schools across the Jefferson County School District will be closed Friday due to the ongoing power outages implemented by Xcel Energy:
- Bell Middle School
- Bergen Elementary School
- Compass Montessori - Golden
- Conifer High School
- Connections Learning Center
- Elk Creek Elementary School
- Evergreen Middle School
- Evergreen High School
- Excel Academy
- Fairmount Elementary School
- Foothills Elementary School
- Hutchinson Elementary School
- Kendallvue Elementary School
- Long View High School
- Marshdale Elementary School
- McLain Community High School
- Meiklejohn Elementary School
- Mitchell Elementary School
- Mt. Blue Sky Outdoor Lab
- Parmalee Elementary School
- Ralston Elementary School
- Ralston Valley High School
- Red Rocks Elementary School
- Rocky Mountain Academy of Evergreen
- Rooney Ranch Elementary School
- Shelton Elementary School
- Three Creeks K-8 School
- Van Arsdale Elementary School
- Warren Tech Central
- West Jefferson Elementary School
- West Jefferson Middle School
- Wilmot Elementary School
- Windy Peak Outdoor Lab
- Woodrow Wilson Academy
5:36 p.m. ► GOLDEN CITY OFFICES CLOSED FRIDAY | Due to Xcel's imminent Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) planned through dusk on Friday, Golden City offices and the Golden Community Center will be closed on Friday, Dec. 19. Emergency services will continue to operate as normal.
4:58 p.m. ► BOULDER VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT FRIDAY | BVSD said late Thursday that schools will be closed again Friday due to extended power outages and weather conditions.
2:40 p.m. ► XCEL: 67K CUSTOMERS WILL BE IMPACTED FRIDAY | Xcel Energy officials said 67,000 customers across Boulder, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties will be impacted by the agencies public safety power shutoffs (PSPS), which are expected to begin at 5 a.m.
"Given Friday's [wind] event there will be added days to restoration for some customers, meaning some may experience more than 3 days of being without power. Customers should know crews will work as quickly as possible to safely restore power," a spokesperson for Xcel Energy said.
Robert Kenney, the president of Xcel Energy Colorado, said he recognizes that some customers will be without power for several days but added that he was appreciative of people's understanding "of the public safety necessity of a PSPS."
"Turning off the power is not a decision we take lightly and our crews are working safely and diligently to restore power as quickly as possible,” Kenney said.
Several resource centers have been established for customers impacted by Wednesday's power shutoffs:
- Evergreen Library – 5000 County Hwy 73, Evergreen, CO 80439 (Open Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
- Servicios de la Raza – 3131 W. 14th Ave., Denver, CO 80204 (Open Thursday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.)
- Belmar Library – 555 S. Allison Parkway, Lakewood, CO 80226 (Open Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
- Gilpin County School – 10595 Highway 119, Black Hawk, CO 80422 (Open Until Further Notice)
2:39 p.m. ► BOULDER URGES PEOPLE TO STAY HOME FRIDAY | The Boulder County Office of Emergency Management is asking people to stay home and off the roads Friday 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."
2 p.m. ► XCEL OUTAGES | There were a total of 304 power outages, affecting 26,559 customers as of 2 p.m., according to Xcel's outage map. Boulder County has the most outages, with 6,798 customers affected.
1:48 p.m. ► FOOD WASTE DISPOSAL IN BOULDER COUNTY | Boulder County residents whose food has been spoiled due to Wednesday's public safety power shutoffs can bring their spoiled food to Western Disposal Materials Management Center, located at 2051 63rd St, Boulder, for free to have it properly disposed. Food brought to the center can stay in the packaging, but there can be no glass containers.
If residents have curbside compost collection at their homes, they can toss their spoiled food there, after removing it from the packaging.
Hours of operation are Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
1:30 p.m. ► CHARGING LOCATIONS IN BOULDER COUNTY | Charging locations for personal devices and medical equipment are available for those who have lost power in Boulder County, according to the county's Office of Emergency Management (OEM). Those locations are:
- North Boulder Library, 4500 13th St., Boulder. Open until 7 p.m. on Dec. 18.
- Gunbarrel Library, 6500 Lookout Rd., Gunbarrel. Open until 7 p.m. on Dec. 18.
- Superior Community Center, 1500 Coalton Rd., Superior – this location has 2 EV charging spots.
- Superior Civic Center, 2250 Main St., Superior – this location has 10 EV charging spots
- Nederland Community Center, 750 CO-72 Nederland – No EV charging spots at this location.
- Louisville Recreation & Senior Center, 900 West Appia, Louisville – this location has 2 EV charging spots
- Louisville Public Library, 951 Spruce St., Louisville – this location has 2 EV charging spots
People should check the hours of operation of each of those locations before heading out the door.
1 p.m. ► EVERGREEN HS CANCELS FINALS | Evergreen High School is canceling final exams as classes are canceled Friday "due to unexpected power outages and wind impacts."
School officials said students who want to improve their fall semester grades will be able to do so during a six-week grading window at the start of the spring semester.
12 p.m. ► XCEL ENERGY: MORE POWER SHUTOFFS EXPECTED FRIDAY | Xcel Energy says about 73,000 customers are still without power following planned blackouts in response to high winds across the Front Range foothills Wednesday.
At a news conference Thursday, Xcel Energy Colorado president Robert Kenney said the energy company has restored power to about 122,000 customers and added crews were working around the clock to get more customers restored. But he warned another public safety power shutoff was expected Friday as "we expect to see wind that are even higher than the winds we saw on Wednesday."
Kenney said he expects tomorrow's public safety power shutoff to start at 5 a.m. and potentially last as late as 6 p.m. Friday's public safety power shutoff was expected to impact around 64,000 customers.
During the news conference, he did urge Xcel customers "to make sure they're prepared for a potential multi-day outage" as tomorrow's wind event is expected to bring stronger winds and drier conditions to the area.
For customs whose power is out who may be wondering when they'll their power will come back on, Kenney had this to say:
"I'd say [we're trying to get power back on] as quickly as possible. We're working as safely as possible, given the wind conditions, we're striving to get as many of the Wednesday customers back on today as possible, so that they don't go into Friday without power."
Watch the news conference in the video player below:
11:30 a.m. ► BEWARE SPOILED FOOD, MEDICATIONS | Jefferson County officials are urging residents to check spoiled food and medications as power comes back on across the county.
They're advising people to throw away refrigerated foods if power has been out for more than four hours. That's according to USDA guidelines. Frozen foods may remain safe if ice crystals are present on them.
Medications requiring refrigeration should be discarded after a day without power unless the label states otherwise. Lifesaving medications may be used temporarily until a replacement supply is available. All refrigerated medications should be replaced as soon as possible.
9:18 a.m. ► GILPIN COUNTY OPENS SHELTER | The Gilpin County Sheriff's Office has opened a warming shelter at 10595 Highway 119 at the Gilpin County School. Access for the shelter will be through the upper entrance to the atrium at the high school level, officials said in a Facebook post.
Through 9 a.m. ► AIR QUALITY HEALTH ADVISORY | Smoke from multiple wildfires prompted an Air Quality Health Advisory through 9 a.m. Thursday.
Eastern Yuma and Kit Carson counties are most affected, but the effects could be felt in Wray, Vernon, Idalia and Burlington as well.
Areas downwind of these fires, along Highway 385 south of Wray and along Interstate 70 near Burlington, could experience moderate to heavy smoke in areas downwind of the wildfires.
7:45 a.m. ► ARAPAHOE BASIN POWER OUTAGE | Food and beverage services are limited or unavailable at Arapahoe Basin Thursday morning due to high winds overnight that caused a power outage. Lifts are still running on time, though.
7:11 a.m. ► LOVELAND WIND DAMAGE | The Loveland Police Department reported Thursday morning that officers saw trampolines lifted by overnight winds, falling trees, roaming construction debris and downed fences.
7:09 a.m. ► BVSD INTERVIEW | The chief communications officer gives an update to Denver7's Lauren Lennon on wind damage to school buildings and plans for classes Friday.
Watch in the video player below:
5:43 a.m. ► CLOSURES AND DELAYS
The following school and government office closures are in effect due to high winds today:
- Clear Creek School District RE-1
- Gilpin County Schools RE-1
- Gilpin County government buildings announced they would be closed Thursday.
- City of Boulder
The following school and government office delays are in effect due to high winds today :
- Platte Canyon School Dist 1 - Delayed 90 minutes
- CU Boulder - Delayed 2 hours
5:37 a.m. ► NWS BOULDER FORECAST | Wind gusts could hit 85 mph late Thursday night along the Front Range mountains and foothills, according to the National Weather Service in Boulder.
The strong winds and warm, dry conditions are favorable for rapid fire spread, continuing critical fire conditions into Friday.
5:08 a.m. ► HIGH WIND WARNING | The Front Range mountains remain under a High Wind Warning Thursday morning where gusts up to 85 mph continue, according to NWS Boulder.
Eastern Colorado is also under a High Wind Warning for wind gusts up to 65 mph.
Due to the strong wind gusts, the NWS Boulder said a Red Flag Warning is in effect today as conditions remain favorable for rapid fire spread. The winds are expected to slowly decrease by Thursday afternoon, but will return Friday.
4:27 a.m. ► ROAD CLOSURES | US 6 Loveland Pass and US 287 between Ted's Place and Wyoming are closed due to the high winds, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
4:20 a.m. ► XCEL OUTAGES | Here's a breakdown of the Xcel Energy power outages across the Denver metro area, as of 4:20 a.m. Thursday:
- Boulder County: 86 outages impacting 30,890 customers
- Jefferson County: 79 outages impacting 24,787 customers
- Denver County: 110 outages impacting 6,617 customers
- Adams County: 34 total outages impacting 2,119 customers
- Weld County: 48 outages impacting 1,692 customers
4:04 a.m. ► YUMA DAMAGE REPORTS | The Yuma County Emergency Management encouraged residents to submit reports of wind and fire damage to structures, land or animals at jrockwell@yumacounty.gov. Residents are asked to include their name, address, phone number, a detailed description of the damage and photos.
3:59 a.m. ► YUMA EMERGENCY SHELTERS | The emergency shelters set up Wednesday night at Wray EMS, Grassroots Center in Joes and Yuma High School in response to Yuma County wildfires have closed. Wildfire evacuees were cleared to return to their homes early Thursday morning.
Shelters could reopen, though, in the event of additional fire-related evacuations Thursday. Winds are forecasted to gain strength again between 9 and 10 a.m.
3:10 a.m. ► XCEL OUTAGES | There were a total of 483 power outages, affecting 97,281 customers, according to Xcel's outage map as of 3:10 a.m. Thursday.
Wednesday, December 17
11 p.m. ► YUMA COUNTY FIRES | Multiple wildfires were burning late Wednesday in Yuma County on the far eastern plains. Some residents had been asked to evacuate as gusty winds made conditions ripe for fires to spread. Denver7 is working to learn more about the fires burning in Yuma County. Here is the latest.
10:09 p.m. ► SCHOOL CLOSURES ⎸ Boulder Valley Schools announced late Wednesday that it will be closed on Thursday due to ongoing power outages and other impacts from Wednesday's storm.
5:50 p.m. ► PEAK TO PEAK HWY REOPENED ⎸ CDOT has reopened Peak to Peak highway as wind gusts have "dropped significantly." The Boulder Office of Disaster Management said the following road closures remain in effect:
- US 36 north of Boulder to Lyons remains closed.
- SH 93 between Eldorado Canyon Drive and Golden remains closed.
5:40 p.m. ► BOULDER: DEBRIS IN ROAD | The Boulder Police Department asked drivers to stay off roads if possible as there have been reports of debris in roadways and "many streetlights are out." "If you encounter a flashing red or dark streetlight, treat it as a four-way stop. Be safe, everyone!"
5:13 p.m. ► CATEGORY 2 HURRICANE WIND GUSTS | A 109 mph wind gust was reported by the NWS at 3 miles NW Marshall, in Boulder County. Here are other reports from Wednesday:
- 109 MPH — 3 SW Rocky Flats, Colorado (Jefferson)
- 95 MPH — 1 NE Crisman, Colorado (Boulder)
- 93 MPH — 4 SSW Rocky Flats, Colorado (Jefferson)
- 91 MPH — 1 S Boulder, Colorado (Boulder)
- 87 MPH — 1 ENE Boulder, Colorado (Boulder)
View our full list of wind gust reports at this link.
5:10 p.m. ► POUDRE VALLEY REA LATEST | The utility said crews were responding to 2 broken utility poles which have caused outages impacting 850 customers.
5:05 p.m. ► LONGMONT WINDS | Denver7 viewer Jessica Smith shared this photo of a table flying over a fence in Longmont during Wednesday's wind gusts.
4:26 p.m. ► BOULDER CALL CENTER | The Boulder Office of Disaster Management has set up a phone number for residents to call with questions about Wednesday's wind event. Call 303-413-7730 if you have "general questions." "The call center will not be able to answer specific questions about utility operations or service restoration. For these questions, contact your utility provider," wrote the agency.
4:15 p.m. ► REPORT FROM GOLDEN | Denver7 reporter Maggy Bryan surveyed damage as wind gusts continue to slam Colorado. CDOT closed a portion of Hwy 93 north of W 64th Pkwy. In the video player below, see where power lines were bent along Hwy 93.
3:55 p.m. ► POWER LINE DAMAGE | Denver7 reporter Claire Lavezzorio shot video of crews working on bent power lines along Hwy 93. She said street lights are reported out at Hwy 93 & 58 in Golden.
3:50 p.m. ► PLANES DAMAGED IN BOULDER | Boulder Municipal Airport Manager Eric Vences told Denver7 two planes tied down to the tarmac were damaged in Wednesday's high wind event "One was overturned and one had a wing shear off. We are not through this wind event and are unaware of any other damage as of the time of this email," said Vences. The NWS said earlier an 87 mph wind gust was reported. Denver7 has a crew headed there.
3:20 p.m. ► 911 CALLS IN BOULDER COUNTY | Boulder's Office of Disaster Management said the City of Boulder is seeing a high volume of 911 calls due to the high wind situation and is urging the public to avoid calling 911 unless you need an emergency response.
3:08 p.m. ► 911 CALLS IN BOULDER COUNTY | Boulder's Office of Disaster Management said the City of Boulder is seeing a high volume of 911 calls due to the high wind situation and is urging the public to avoid calling 911 unless you need an emergency response. They provided this list of when to call 911:
- Tree branch in a parking lot or on private property (no)
- Tree branch on a power line causing sparking (yes)
- Some debris in the road (no)
- Debris causing a road to be impassible (yes)
- Debris blowing around (no)
- Debris hit a person causing a significant injury needing emergency medical services (yes)
3:02 p.m. ► 50+ MPH WIND GUSTS DENVER METRO | The NWS said with another 2 hours left of Wednesday's "high impact" wind event, forecasters are seeing gusts "make it to I-25, hugging the Larimer and Weld County lines," said NWS meteorologist Greg Heavener. He said 50+ mph wind gusts were detected in the Denver metro area.
2:57 p.m. ► JEFFCO ROAD CLOSURE | Indiana Street from 96th to 128th is closed due to winds.
2:50 p.m. ► BOULDER COUNTY CLOSURE | Boulder County's North Broadway Campus at 1333 Iris Avenue is closed for the rest of Wednesday due to a power outage.
2:27 p.m. ► CHARGING STATIONS BOULDER COUNTY | For people who are without power due to the high winds Wednesday, Boulder's Office of Disaster Management said there are charging stations for medical equipment and personal devices. Most stations below also have EV charging capabilities:
- Superior Community Center, 1500 Coalton Rd., Superior – this location has 2 EV charging spots. Check http://bit.ly/SuperiorCivicCenter for hours.
- Superior Civic Center, 2250 Main St., Superior – this location has 10 EV charging spots. Check http://bit.ly/SuperiorCommunityCenter for hours.
- Nederland Community Center, 750 CO-72 Nederland – No EV charging spots at this location. Check http://bit.ly/NederlandCommunityCenter for hours.
- Louisville Recreation & Senior Center, 900 West Appia, Louisville – this location has 2 EV charging spots. Check http://Louisvilleco.gov for hours.
- Louisville Public Library, 951 Spruce St., Louisville – this location has 2 EV charging spots. Check http://Louisvilleco.gov for hours.
2:33 p.m. ► LIKELY CLOSURE US 36 | CDOT said it is likely US 36 north of Boulder to Lyons will be closed as wind gusts increase. We'll update this blog when/if that happens.
2:17 p.m. ► MAX WIND GUST 96 MPH | The NWS in Boulder said a 96 mph estimated wind gust was reported at NCAR Mesa Lab, which is southwest of Boulder.
2:05 p.m. ► BLOWING DUST A CONCERN | In it's 2 p.m. briefing, NWS forecasters said it has received reports of 90 mph wind gusts near the NCAR Mesa Lab and a weather observer clocked a 94 mph wind gust on the southeast side of Boulder. A wind gust of 87 mph was reported at Boulder Municipal Airport and there are reports of a "ton of blowing dust" from Longmont and locations westward. The NWS provided an updated wind impact timeline below.
1:40 p.m. ► LATEST WIND GUSTS | The NWS in Boulder shared the following wind reports from automated stations and local spotters.
- 91 mph: 3 miles NW Marshall | Boulder County
- 86 mph: 1 mile NE Crisman | Boulder County
- 80 mph: 3 miles SW Rocky Flats | Jefferson County
- 73 mph: 2 miles NW Rocky Flats | Jefferson County
- 70 mph: 4 miles NNW White Ranch Open Space | Jefferson County
- 68 mph: 3 miles SE Tolland | Gilpin County
- 68 mph: 4 miles ENE Nederland | Boulder County
1:12 p.m. ► 80 MPH WIND GUSTS REPORTED | In it's 1 p.m. briefing, NWS forecasters said parts of Southern Boulder were reporting 80 mph wind gusts. Downtown Denver saw between 20 to 25 mph gusts. The NWS said models indicate the max winds could develop between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
12:53 p.m. ► WIND-RELATED ROAD CLOSURES | Due to high winds, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is closing the following roads in Boulder County:
- Highway 93 is closed from Golden to Eldorado Springs.
- Highway 128 is closed from Indiana to Hwy 93.
- US 36/North Foothills Hwy. is closed north of Boulder to Lyons.
CDOT is also restricting high profile vehicles from driving on the Peak-to-Peak Highway (Hwy. 72), according to the Boulder OEM. Boulder OEM officials are also hearing about traffic signal outages, trees on the roads, and downed power lines. "Please keep this in mind if you need to travel today," officials said.
12:30 p.m. ► HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES | The NWS warned drivers of high profile vehicles to be on alert on I-25, particularly in Weld County and north to the Fort Collins area due to "pretty nasty crosswinds." Wind gusts out of the west up to 85 mph are expected with sustained winds of between 30 to 50 mph possible in Fort Collins, Longmont, Boulder and the western suburbs or Denver, wrote NWS forecasters.
12:24 p.m. ► XCEL ENERGY OUTAGES | The utility is reporting 10 outages impacting 49,608 customers across Colorado. According to Xcel Energy's outage map, this includes both planned (Public Safety Power Shutoff) and unplanned outages.
12:00 p.m. ► NWS UPDATE | Weather forecasters said they are seeing more wind gusts between 55 to 65 mph with a few spots of 75 mph gusts in western Boulder County. By early afternoon, the NWS said it expected to see wind gusts above 85 mph along portions of the base of the foothills. The NWS updated its wind impact timing matrix in the graphic below so you can see when your area might see the strongest wind gusts.
11:30 a.m. ► POUDRE VALLEY REA LATEST | The utility reports as of 11:30 a.m., around 800 members near Lyons were impacted by service interruptions. "Due to our current enhanced power safety settings, outages may be longer and more frequent as crews must manually inspect power lines and devices before restoring service. We appreciate your patience and grace as we work to restore service as quickly and safely as possible," wrote Poudre Valley REA on social media.
10:50 a.m. ► XCEL ENERGY UPDATE | The university said the Boulder campus is included on Xcel Energy's outage map but it did not expect the utility to proactively cut power to the majority of the campus. In a Wednesday morning briefing, Xcel Energy said it anticipated approximately 49,000 customers in 5 counties would be impacted by power shut offs in an effort to mitigate potential wildfire risk as high wind gusts batter Colorado. “We will be working very diligently once the power or once the wind event subsides, to begin restoring power,” said Xcel Energy Colorado president Robert Kenney. “But I want our customers in our communities to know we won't be able to restore power until after the wind event subsides.” Kenney added that Xcel crews would begin inspecting power lines “across 24 feeders and 678 miles of line” and that inspection of those lines “cannot begin until it’s safe to do so.”
10:07 a.m. ► CU BOULDER | The university said the Boulder campus is included on Xcel Energy's outage map but it did not expect the utility to proactively cut power to the majority of the campus. "The northwest corner of main campus along University Avenue between Broadway and 17th Street is expected to lose power beginning at 10 a.m. This includes the following buildings: Limelight Hotel & Conference Center, Page Foundation Center, Jessor Building, Armory, Arts & Sciences Office Building 1, Continuing Education Center, Center for Native American & Indigenous Studies and Conference of World Affairs Administration. At this time, the campus does not anticipate impacts to Athens North." Read CU Boulder's full update. The university is closed Wednesday. While the worst of the wind gusts are expected between noon and 5 p.m., the NWS in Boulder said "wind are beginning to increase across the Front Range foothills" already this morning.
10:05 a.m. ► NWS UPDATE | While the worst of the wind gusts are expected between noon and 5 p.m., the NWS in Boulder said "wind are beginning to increase across the Front Range foothills" already this morning.
9:30 a.m. ► HIGH WIND WARNING | Portions of Colorado's High Country are already under a high wind warning where the NWS said wind gusts up to 90 mph are expected. Rocky Mountain National Park, Medicine Bow Range, Mountains of Summit County, Mosquito Range, Indian Peaks and the Foothills are under the warning until 5 a.m. Thursday.
8:06 a.m. ► MILE HIGH DRONE SHOW | The Mile High Drone Show — put on by Xcel Energy, Xfinity and the Denver Christkindlmarket — scheduled for Wednesday evening, is canceled due to weather conditions.
7:07 a.m. ► RTD W LINE IMPACTS | The RTD W Line will be impacted by Xcel Energy's planned power shutoff Wednesday, the transit agency announced. RTD will adjust rail services prior to the planned power outage at 10 a.m. Bus shuttles will service the Federal Center Station and JeffCo Gov't Center•Golden Station along the W Line. Ticket vending machines and fare validators at the JeffCo Gov't Center•Golden Station will not be operational. RTD said it's also preparing for four commuter rail crossings along the A line to be impacted by the forecasted winds. If there are sustained high winds, RTD will reduce the A Line's frequency to 30 minutes and deploy buses to fill the gap. The transit agency expects weather conditions and service impacts to start improving around 6 p.m.
7:02 a.m. ► SECOND XCEL POWER SHUTOFF | High winds and low relative humidity could create wildfire risk and cause outages again on Friday, December 19, Xcel Energy announced Wednesday. Friday's storm may impact some of the same communities that could see power shutoffs Wednesday. "Certain areas may be without power for more than three days," Xcel said in a Wednesday news release. Xcel is evaluating the need for a second Public Safetey Power Shutoff (PSPS) for mountain communities and the Front Range, beginning as early as 6 a.m. Friday.
6:15 a.m. ► NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BOULDER BRIEFING | Eastern Elbert and northern Lincoln counties were added to Wednesday's Red Flag Warning, according to the National Weather Service Boulder weather briefing. There's also a new Wind Watch for Thursday in Sedgwick and Phillips counties, the NWS Boulder said. Snow is expected Wednesday evening with 1-2 inches per hour at its peak, accumulating between 3-10 inches across the northern mountains. Gusty winds will lead to blowing snow and reduced visibility on mountain passes Wednesday evening. Strong winds are possible again on Friday, reaching the western metro, especially near the base of the foothills. Wind gusts could reach 50-70 mph Friday, according to the NWS Boulder. Friday also looks drier than Wednesday, which could create critical weather conditions throughout Friday.
4:34 a.m. ► SCHOOL CLOSURES| Platte Canyon School District 1 and the Joshua School for Autism-Denver announced they will also close today due to the weather and planned power shutoffs.
Tuesday, December 16
8:12 p.m. ► SCHOOL CLOSURE | Jeffco Public Schools will be closed Wednesday due to the forecast of high winds and the potential for power outages. District officials said they made the decision to cancel classes because "our facilities will likely experience significant disruption that could pose a safety risk to students, families and staff." All childcare programs, after-school activities and meetings scheduled to be in Jeffco Public Schools facilities are canceled. No Jeffco Public Schools transportation services will be provided for services within or outside the district.
8:12 p.m. ► SCHOOL CLOSURE | Clear Creek Schools will be closed on Wednesday due to the forecast of high winds and the potential for power outages.
5:49 p.m. ► SCHOOL CLOSURE | CU Boulder issued a class cancellation and administrative campus closure over high winds in the forecast and the power outages planned because of them. "Administrative Closure means that administrative functions of the campus are closed so that the campus can implement the protocols required to continue essential services (dining, housing, facilities, safety, etc.) and clear branches as needed," the district explained.
5:15 p.m. ► SCHOOL CLOSURE | Due to forecasted high wind gusts and potential power shut offs, Weld County RE-4 School District announced classes will be cancelled Wednesday for elementary school students from preschool through 5th grade. There will be an early release at 11:25 a.m. for middle school students and the HS will release students as 12:10 p.m. Here's what the district said on social media: We have been made aware that our area is expected to have a “strong wind event forecast” on Wednesday, Dec. 17. Xcel Energy has notified us that it is highly likely that they will enter “Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings” on Wednesday and will proactively shut off power to prevent wildfire environments, including our campuses. As a result, we will have alternate schedules for Wednesday, Dec. 17:
Elementary Schools
- School will be canceled for students in grades preschool through 5th.
- There will be no AlphaBEST programming.
Middle and High Schools
- Middle schools will release at 11:25 a.m. and high schools will release at 12:10 p.m.
- Individual schools will provide alternate class schedules.
- Lunch will be provided on a grab-and-go basis.
- Transportation will be shifted to accommodate the revised bell schedule.
There will be no afterschool practices, activities, and events. All facility rentals will be canceled for Wednesday, Dec. 17. Here's the full news release.
5:00 p.m. ► 52,000 Xcel Energy customers could lose power Wednesday | Due to the wind situation, Xcel Energy customers should be advised the utility is planning for a Public Safety Power Shutoff, or PSPS, on Wednesday which means power would be proactively shut off in targeted areas for a period of time when wildfire risk is extremely high. Here's what Xcel Energy said in a Tuesday afternoon news release: "Xcel Energy is planning for a likely PSPS beginning around 10 a.m., impacting around 52,000 customers in Boulder, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties. Risk assessments based on the latest forecast data and advanced modelling tool outputs, as well as recent improvements to grid infrastructure, have enabled us to reduce the size of the affected areas. Due to changing weather conditions, the PSPS event is now expected to begin at 10 a.m. rather than at 12 noon." Xcel Energy added that outages are possible in areas outside of a PSPS. Here's more on how the Public Safety Power Shutoff works.
Click here to watch the Denver7 live weather stream.