Power outages began early Friday morning in Colorado’s foothills as 100 mph gusts expected
Power outages began again in the foothills early Friday morning as dangerous wind conditions, with gusts expected to reach 100 mph, were expected to continue in what is being called a prolonged wind event. Some communities like Morrison experienced the power shutoff at 5 a.m.
CBS
Earlier this week, Xcel Energy officials said they were evaluating the need for a second public safety power shutoff this week on Friday with wind speeds expected to reach hurricane or near-hurricane levels again in the Denver metro area and other parts of the Front Range.
Friday is a First Alert Weather Day with dangerous winds, low humidity levels and record heat expected. According to CBS Colorado Chief Meteorologist Dave Aguilera, the winds will be in force from 10 a.m. to midnight on Friday when a Red Flag Warning will be in effect.
For the first time in Colorado, the National Weather Service office in Boulder has issued an extra warning know as “A Particularly Dangerous Situation” for northwest Jefferson and western Boulder counties for possible wind gusts of 85 to 105 mph.
CBS
Friday’s shutoff is the third time in Colorado state history that the utility company planned a power outage to thousands due to dangerous wind and fire conditions. The second time was Wednesday, when at the height of the windstorm, 150,000 customers were without power.
By 6 a.m. Friday, some 90,000 people were without power due to the planned outage. They could be without power for much of the day as Xcel crews must complete an inspection before the lines are re-energized.
More than 55,000 customers were still without power at midday on Thursday.
