More than 22,000 power customers are without power following high winds and an Xcel Energy planned power shutoff.
Boulder County is under a red flag warning and a high wind warning on Wednesday, with wind gusts of over 90 mph recorded in the county. As of 2:24 p.m., the highest gust was estimated at 96 mph at the NCAR Mesa Lab southwest of Boulder, according to NWS.
Xcel Energy said it would cut power in parts of Boulder, such as Flagstaff, University Hill and north Boulder, and in parts of Longmont and Superior, according to the energy company’s map of affected areas.
About 22,471 Xcel customers were without power as of about 2 p.m. across Boulder County, according to Xcel’s own outage map, including about 8,000 customers whose power was proactively shut off amid the fire danger.
In Lyons, about 800 customers lost power following the high winds hitting the county, according to the town’s energy co-op, Poudre Valley REA, in a social media post.
Charging locations for personal devices and medical equipment are available at the Superior Community Center, Superior Civic Center, Nederland Community Center, Louisville Recreation & Senior Center and Louisville Public Library around the county for those who have lost power.
The charging locations could close if they lose power.
Fire conditions are expected to make a resurgence on Friday, which might mean another planned outage, according to an Xcel social media post. The second outage could be underway as soon as 6 a.m. Friday, the post states.
The outages are meant to limit the risk of fires starting on Wednesday, according to Xcel. So far this winter season, the weather in Boulder County has been unseasonably warm and dry, with little snow and rain and highs regularly in the mid-60s across the eastern plains of the county.