National Weather Service watches, warnings explained
Here are what weather statements mean and how to stay safe ahead of a storm.
Miles Blumhardt, Fort Collins Coloradoan
- A high wind warning is in effect for the Fort Collins area from 11 a.m. to midnight Dec. 17.
- Xcel Energy says it’s likely that power be shut off for 50,000 customers starting at 10 a.m.
- Schools in Timnath, Windsor and the mountain communities will be closed.
The National Weather Service in Boulder says it is increasingly confident in a high-impact wind event for Northern Colorado and the mountains on Dec. 17.
Downslope winds will create critical fire danger and are increasingly likely to cause Xcel Energy to shut off electricity in the area.
As a result, several schools will be closed Dec. 17.
High-wind warnings, watches and red flag warnings are in place across much of the state.
The National Weather Service says to expect damaging winds to blow down trees and power lines, widespread power outages and difficult travel, especially for high profile vehicles.
And any new fire that broke out under these conditions would likely led to rapid fire growth, the warning says.
The NWS advises people to avoid outdoor burning or activities that cause sparks and to secure loose objects.
What to expect around Fort Collins
The Fort Collins area is under a high-wind warning from 11 a.m. to midnight on Dec. 17, with a red flag warning from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
West winds of 30 to 50 mph are expected, with gusts up to 80 mph in the areas of Fort Collins, Boulder and the western suburbs of Denver.
The strongest gusts will peak in the 70-85 mph range, with gusts 50-70 mph being relatively widespread, according to the forecast.
- In the mountains and foothills above 9,000 feet, the weather service has high confidence of wind gusts of 75 to 85 mph.
- In the foothills and lower elevations west of Interstate 25, there is medium confidence in gusts over 75 mph.
- Across the plains in the evening, there is medium to low confidence in gusts up to 60 mph.
The worst of the wind is expected in the afternoon.
For Dec. 18, weaker winds are expected with the chance for stronger downslope winds on Dec. 19, according to the NWS.
Xcel might cut electricity preemptively: Here’s who that could affect
Xcel Energy says it is likely it will proactively shut off electricity starting at 10 a.m. Dec. 17 due to strong winds increasing the risk of damage to power lines and outages.
This would affect 50,000 customers in Boulder, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties, which is fewer than originally expected.
However, unplanned outages could also occur due to high winds, Xcel’s website notes.
In Larimer County, Xcel’s service area is a patchwork, but includes some portions of all of its communities, like Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, Timnath, Laporte, Wellington and Berthoud.
It could take several hours or days to restore power, Xcel said, because crews must examine and/or repair lines before they can be reenergized.
Xcel said it will make a decision about the shutoff no later than the morning of Dec. 17.
Customers can check the status of power on Xcel’s electric outage map.
School closures announced
Xcel serves many schools in the area, and districts have announced closures or alternate schedules.
In Poudre School District, the following schools will be closed: Bethke Elementary, Timnath Elementary, Timnath Middle-High School, Red Feather Lakes Elementary, Stove Prairie Elementary and Livermore Elementary. All athletics and activities at those schools will also be canceled.
All other PSD schools remain open.
In Weld RE-4, which is the district covering Windsor and Severance schools, elementary schools will be closed and middle and high schools will operate on an alternate schedule:
- School will be canceled for students in preschool through fifth grade, and there will be no AlphaBEST programming.
- Middle schools will release at 11:25 a.m. and high schools will release at 12:10 p.m. Lunch will be provided on a grab-and-go basis. There will be no afterschool practices, activities and events.
Colorado State University campuses are not expected to be affected by the Xcel shutoff, according to a social media post from CSU Police & Safety.
Will Fort Collins Utilities or PVREA have preemptive shutoffs?
Other electric providers in Larimer County are not planning proactive outages. However, one of them said outages due to wind damage are still possible.
The municipal utilities serving Fort Collins and Loveland, whose power lines are buried, say they don’t expect any outages. They both get their wholesale power from Platte River Power Authority.
PRPA is closely monitoring the weather event but doesn’t plan a preemptive shutdown, communications supervisor Maia Jackson told the Coloradoan.
Jackson said PRPA has a strong vegetation management program so “the risk of our transmission lines causing a fire remains low.”
There are also protection systems set up to monitor the operations of the transmission lines and automatically open transmission line sections that experience fault conditions, Jackson said.
Fort Collins Utilities noted its electrical infrastructure is buried underground and said PRPA’s investments in resiliency means a “significantly reduced risk of wind-related disruptions.”
City of Loveland Utilities says 87% of its power infrastructure is underground and the remaining system uses protection measures that reduce the risk of damage that can cause a fire.
Poudre Valley REA supplies electricity to portions of Larimer and Weld counties, including areas like Red Feather Lakes, Livermore, Poudre Canyon, Berthoud and Windsor.
PVREA says it doesn’t anticipate planned outages, but high winds could cause unexpected outages.
Here are links to select Northern Colorado power outage maps:
The Coloradoan will provide updates as needed regarding outages.
