Xcel confirms power shutoffs in Boulder Saturday amid extreme wildfire danger

This story was last updated at 10:30 a.m. on March 15.

Latest updates

• Power restored: Xcel said just before 8 a.m. Sunday that power had been restored to all customers affected by the public safety power shutoff as of late Saturday evening. Some customers in the shutoff zone never lost power because the utility delayed de-energizing certain lines until severe weather conditions were observed in real time.
• Remaining outages: As of about 10:30 a.m. Sunday, roughly 850 customers in Boulder County were without power, mostly around Nederland and in foothill areas, according to Xcel’s outage map. Those outages appear to be related to overnight snow rather than the wildfire-prevention shutoff.
• Outage peak: Outages in Boulder County peaked around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, when about 11,600 customers were without power. By 6 p.m., roughly 10,800 customers were affected.
• PSPS breakdown: Xcel had expected about 14,408 customers in Boulder County and 3,403 customers in Jefferson County to be affected by the shutoff. However, not all customers in the zone ultimately lost power because some lines were kept energized until severe weather was observed.
• Shutoff timing: Xcel confirmed at 11:30 a.m. March 14 it would implement a public safety power shutoff affecting about 18,000 customers in Boulder and Jefferson counties. The shutoff was scheduled to begin around 2 p.m. Saturday.
• Weather conditions: Gusts of 40 to 55 mph were recorded in Boulder, with stronger winds in the foothills west of the city, where gusts reached 40 to 75 mph. The strongest gust — 82 mph — was recorded at NCAR Mesa.
• Emergency response: Boulder’s Office of Disaster Management closed its emergency operations center for the event at 8:45 p.m. Saturday after the shutoff period ended.
• Resource center: The North Boulder Recreation Center (3170 Broadway) opened Saturday afternoon with water, snacks and device charging for residents affected by outages. Xcel representatives were also on site to answer questions about the shutdown.
• Check outages: Residents can check Xcel Energy’s outage map to see whether outages remain in their area and to find the latest restoration updates.
• Fourth shutoff since 2024: Saturday’s event was Xcel’s fourth wildfire-prevention power shutoff since 2024, a strategy that has drawn criticism from residents, businesses and city officials after previous outages left thousands without power for days.

Xcel Energy says it will implement a public safety power shutoff Saturday, March 14, as extreme fire danger peaks along the Front Range. The shutoff is expected to begin around 2 p.m. and is expected to affect about 18,000 customers in Boulder and Jefferson counties, though the estimate may continue to change. Much of the City of Boulder is currently within the shutoff zone, with a seeming carveout for parts of central and downtown Boulder.

Xcel expects conditions to improve around 5 p.m., but heightened fire risk is forecast to continue throughout the weekend. Residents who rely on electricity for medical equipment are urged to prepare for potential outages. The utility said it will provide updates as needed.

Xcel also warned that outages could occur outside the planned shutoff zones because high winds may still damage powerlines.

Residents can look up their address to see whether they may be affected.

The Front Range is experiencing weeks of historically warm and dry conditions, with multiple days of extreme fire danger. The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning from 11 a.m. through 9 p.m. on March 14 for areas below 6,000 feet in several Front Range counties, including Boulder. 

Critical fire conditions include low relative humidity of 10% to 15%, sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph, and gusts of up to 50 mph in the urban corridor and plains. A powerful cold front is expected to bring snow Saturday night, which would reduce fire risk. 

Preventive shutoffs used to reduce wildfire risk have become controversial in Boulder. If implemented, this would be the fourth planned shutoff since 2024. The two most recent occurred at the end of December.

Planned and unplanned outages during those end-of-year windstorms left thousands without electricity for days, sparking anger from residents and businesses and drawing sharp criticism from Boulder City Council, which called the prolonged outages “simply not acceptable.” 

Residents and officials said maps were confusing and communications from Xcel were often unclear, with inaccurate estimates for when power might be restored. At Golden West, an affordable housing complex for older adults, the outages left 10 residents at risk of losing access to medical oxygen. Some Boulder County businesses reported losses averaging about $25,000 during the outages. A wildfire, the Wild Turkey Fire, ignited Dec. 22 during Xcel’s restoration efforts, apparently sparked by a powerline damaged in the windstorm. 

A shutoff in 2024 also led to a near crisis when Xcel cut power, including backup power, to the city’s wastewater system, nearly causing raw sewage to spill into Boulder Creek.

Councilmembers have urged the utility to develop a plan to reduce the frequency and impact of shutoffs and to compensate customers for financial losses caused by outages.

Xcel has begun work on undergrounding some of Boulder’s highest-risk power lines, with construction expected to begin in the coming months.

The shutoff comes just two days after high winds on March 12 knocked out power to at least 4,400 customers in Boulder County. Several of the outages were concentrated in South Boulder.

While Xcel did not implement a formal shutoff on March 12, the utility activated enhanced safety settings, which cause powerlines to disconnect automatically when disturbances are detected. Lines can only be re-energized after inspection by Xcel crews.

By mid-afternoon of Friday, March 13, Xcel was still restoring power to around 3,900 customers, mostly in Boulder and Evergreen, according to the company’s event update page.

Trails closed amid extreme fire danger

Boulder County Parks and Open Space announced it would close all trails west of Highway 36 beginning at sunset on March 13, with closures expected to remain in place throughout Saturday, March 14. Areas affected include Anne U. White Trail, Bald Mountain Scenic Areas, Betasso Preserve, Boulder Canyon Trail, Caribou Ranch, Hall Ranch, Heil Valley Ranch, Mud Lake and Walker Ranch. 

Rangers will begin inspecting trails on Sunday, March 15, and areas will reopen if no immediate danger is spotted from parking areas.

City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks will close all of its properties west of Highway 93, Broadway and Highway 36, from sunset March 13 through sunrise Sunday, March 15. Flagstaff Road will be accessible to residents only. 

“We need people to stay off all closed parts of the system to prevent injury, reduce the risk of ignition and to allow rangers and law enforcement to respond to other calls for service associated with this wind event,” said City Manager Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde in a news release. 

In public land management, closures are typically reserved for periods of severe wildfire or other risk. 

Amid this winter’s warm and dry conditions, Boulder County has faced repeated periods of extreme wildfire risk. On Feb. 28, the Bluebell Fire southwest of Chautauqua prompted an evacuation warning at the Chautauqua Cottages and evacuations of hikers from nearby trails. The fire’s cause remains unknown. 

Just days later, another fire ignited in the Heil Valley Ranch area within the CalWood Fire burn scar.

Officials urge anyone on trails to use extreme caution, noting that trees and limbs weakened by high winds can fall hours later, even after conditions appear to calm.

This is a developing situation. Boulder Reporting Lab will update as more information becomes available.