The National Weather Service in Boulder said it is increasingly confident of a high-impact wind event in northern Colorado and the mountains on Dec. 17.
Downslope winds will create a serious fire hazard and Xcel Energy has an increasing possibility of power outages in the area.
As a result, many schools will be closed on December 17.
Wind warnings, watches and red flag warnings are in place in many parts of the state.
The National Weather Service expects damaging winds to down trees and power lines, widespread power outages and especially difficult travel for high-profile vehicles.
And any new fires that spread under these conditions could lead to rapid fire growth, the warning says.
The NWS advises people to avoid activities that could cause external burns or sparks and to secure loose objects.
High wind warnings and watches are in effect through December 17, 2025 for mountain and northern Colorado counties in Colorado.
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 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
West winds of 30 to 50 mph with gusts up to 80 mph are expected in the western suburbs of Fort Collins, Boulder and Denver.
The strongest gusts will peak in the 70-85 mph range, with 50-70 mph winds relatively widespread, according to the forecast.
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According to meteorologists, winds of 75 to 85 mph will blow in areas above 9,000 feet in the mountains and Terai.
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In the hills and lower elevations west of Interstate 25, moderate winds above 75 mph are expected.
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Over the Plains during the evening, there is a moderate to low confidence of wind gusts up to 60 mph.
The worst winds are expected in the afternoon.
For Dec. 18, weaker winds are expected on Dec. 19 with the possibility of stronger downslope winds, according to the NWS.
Xcel may cut power by default: Here’s who could be affected
Xcel Energy said it is likely that it will actively shut down power beginning at 10 a.m. on Dec. 17 because strong winds increase the risk of damage to power lines and outages.
It will affect 50,000 customers in Boulder, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties, fewer than originally expected.
However, high winds can also cause unplanned outages, Xcel’s website notes.
In Larimer County, Xcel’s service area is a patchwork, but includes parts of all of its communities, such as Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, Timnath, Laporte, Wellington and Berthoud.
It could take several hours or days to restore power, Xcel said, because crews must check and/or repair lines before they can be reactivated.
Xcel said it would make a decision on the shutdown no later than the morning of Dec. 17.
Customers can check power status on Xcel’s power outage map.
Announcement of school closure
Xcel serves several schools in the area, and districts have announced closures or alternate schedules.
In the Poudre School District, the following schools will be closed: Bethke Elementary, Timanath Elementary, Timanath 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 that includes Windsor and Severance schools, elementary schools will be closed and middle and high schools will operate on alternate schedules:
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School will be canceled for students in preschool through fifth grade, and there will be no AlphaBEST programming.
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Middle schools will release at 11:25 a.m. and high schools will release at 12:10 p.m. There will be no after school practices, activities and events.
Colorado State University campuses are not expected to be affected by the Xcel closure, according to a social media post from CSU Police and Security.
Will Fort Collins Utilities or PVREA close in default?
Other electricity providers in Larimer County are not planning active outages. However, one of them said that there is still a possibility of disruption due to the storm.
Municipal utilities serving Fort Collins and Loveland, whose power lines are buried, say they don’t expect any outages. They both receive wholesale electricity from the Platte River Power Authority.
PRPA is closely monitoring the weather event but does not plan for a preemptive closure, communications supervisor Maia Jackson told The Coloradon.
Jackson said PRPA has a strong vegetation management program so “the risk of our transmission lines causing fires remains low.”
There are also safety systems to monitor the operation of transmission lines and automatically open transmission line segments that experience fault conditions, Jackson said.
Fort Collins Utilities noted that its electrical infrastructure is buried underground and said PRPA’s investment in resiliency means “significantly reduced exposure to wind-related disruptions.”
City of Loveland Utilities says 87% of its power infrastructure is underground and the rest of the system uses safety measures to reduce the risk of damage that could cause a fire.
Poudre Valley REA supplies electricity to parts of Larimer and Weld counties, including areas such as Red Feather Lake, Livermore, Poudre Canyon, Berthoud and Windsor.
PVREA does not anticipate planned outages, but high winds may cause unexpected outages.
Here are links to select Northern Colorado power outage maps:
Coloradoan will provide updates as needed regarding outages.
This article originally appeared in Fort Collins Colorado: Colorado weather, wind forecast lead to school closures
