This is a developing story. It was last updated at 7:15 p.m. on March 12.
Update: As of about 7 p.m., roughly 1,800 Xcel Energy customers in Boulder County remained without power, according to the utility’s outage map, after powerful winds earlier in the day knocked down lines and triggered outages across the Front Range.
Thousands of residents across Boulder County lost power Thursday as powerful winds swept through the Front Range, knocking down lines, overturning semi-trucks and forcing road closures.
About 4,400 customers were without electricity in Boulder County by midday, according to Xcel Energy’s outage map. The largest outage was concentrated in South Boulder, where more than 2,700 customers lost power shortly after 10 a.m.
While Xcel did not enact a formal public safety power shutoff, the utility activated enhanced wildfire safety settings across the region. Under those settings, power lines automatically shut off electricity if they detect disturbances, such as high winds or potential line damage, and service is not restored until crews inspect and reset the equipment.
Winds were especially strong along Boulder’s foothills, including Gold Hill and along Boulder Canyon Drive. BoulderCAST gusts of 60 to 85 mph in windy spots near Highway 93 and the NCAR Mesa Laboratory, while gusts elsewhere in the Boulder-Denver area ranged from 25 to 50 mph.
The highest gust reported in the area was 94 mph at NREL in Golden.
The winds also caused transportation disruptions. Portions of Highway 93 and Highway 128 were temporarily closed because of dangerous conditions, and the Colorado State Patrol reported multiple overturned semi-trucks across Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties.
The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office reported several downed or hanging power lines in the foothills west of Boulder.
Schools in the mountains were also affected. The Boulder Valley School District closed four foothills schools Thursday: Nederland Elementary, Nederland Middle-Senior High, Gold Hill Elementary and Jamestown Elementary. The district also reported Internet and phone outages at many schools.
Meanwhile, a wind-driven grass fire known as the Starry Fire ignited in north Fort Collins. Evacuations were briefly ordered before being lifted just before 1 p.m., according to the wildfire monitoring service Watch Duty.
Local emergency officials urged residents to prepare for additional outages. Boulder Fire-Rescue advised residents to charge important devices such as phones, laptops, headlamps and backup batteries. The Boulder Office of Disaster Management released a video walkthrough covering basic emergency planning.
Strong winds were expected to continue across the region Thursday, and critical fire weather conditions are forecast for Saturday, raising concerns about wildfire risk along the Front Range.
Power restoration times were unclear Thursday afternoon as crews worked to inspect lines and restore service.
It would be nice if Xcel and the DOT could collaborate on a solution to keep the traffic lights operational during planned outages. There seem to be more crashes when the traffic lights are out.