The National Weather Service in Boulder said it is increasingly confident that a high-impact wind event will occur in northern Colorado and the mountains on Dec. 17.
Downslope winds will create significant fire danger and are increasingly likely to cause Xcel Energy to shut off power to the area.
As a result, some schools will be closed on December 17.
Wind warnings, watches and red flag warnings are in effect for much of the state.
The National Weather Service said damaging winds are expected to knock down trees and power lines, causing widespread power outages and making travel difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles.
Any new fires that break out under these conditions could cause the fire to spread quickly, the warning said.
The NWS advises people to avoid outdoor activities that burn or cause sparks and to secure loose objects.
High wind warnings and watches are in effect through December 17, 2025, for the Colorado Mountains and northern Colorado counties.
What to expect around Fort Collins
A high wind warning is in effect for the Fort Collins area from 11 a.m. to midnight on Dec. 17, and a red flag warning is in effect from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Westerly winds are expected to reach 30 to 50 mph, with gusts up to 80 mph in Fort Collins, Boulder and the western suburbs of Denver.
The strongest wind gusts are forecast to peak at 70-85 mph, with gusts of 50-70 mph relatively common.
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In the mountains and foothills above 9,000 feet, the weather service has high confidence of gusts of 75 to 85 mph.
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There is a moderate chance of gusts in excess of 75 mph in the foothills and lower elevations west of Interstate 25.
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Moderate to low wind gusts as high as 60 mph across the plains during the evening.
Winds are expected to be strongest in the afternoon.
Winds are expected to be weaker on Dec. 18, but stronger downslope winds are possible on Dec. 19, according to the National Weather Service.
Xcel may experience preemptive power outage: Here’s who it could affect
Xcel Energy said it may proactively shut down power starting at 10 a.m. on Dec. 17 as strong winds increase the risk of power line damage and outages.
This will affect 50,000 customers in Boulder, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties, fewer than originally anticipated.
However, the Xcel website notes that high winds can also cause unexpected power outages.
In Larimer County, Xcel’s service area is a patchwork but includes portions of all of its communities, such as Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, Timnut, LaPorte, Wellington and Bertholdt.
Axel said it could take hours or days to restore power as crews must inspect and/or repair lines to get power back on.
Xcel said it will make a decision on the closure no later than the morning of Dec. 17.
Customers can view power status on Xcel’s outage map.
School announced closure
Xcel serves many schools in the area, and districts have announced closures or schedule changes.
In the 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 sports and activities at these schools will also be canceled.
All other PSD schools remain open.
In the Weld RE-4 school district, which covers Windsor and Severance schools, elementary schools will be closed and middle and high schools will be on alternating schedules:
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School for students in pre-K through fifth grade will be canceled and there will be no AlphaBEST programming.
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Middle school will dismiss at 11:25 a.m. and high school will dismiss at 12:10 p.m. Lunch will be served on a grab-and-go basis. There will be no after-school practices, activities, and activities.
The Colorado State University campus is not expected to be affected by the Xcel shutdown, according to a social media post from CSU Police and Safety.
Will Fort Collins Utilities or PVREA shut down early?
Other power providers in Larimer County are not planning proactive outages. However, one said power outages due to wind damage are still a possibility.
Municipal utilities serving Fort Collins and Loveland, where power lines are buried, said they don’t expect any outages. They all receive wholesale power from the Platte River Power Authority.
Communications Director Maia Jackson told The Coloradan that the PRPA is closely monitoring weather events but does not plan to preemptively strike.
Jackson said PRPA has a robust vegetation management program so “the risk of fires igniting our transmission lines remains low.”
Protection systems are also set up to monitor transmission line operations and automatically open sections of the transmission lines that experience fault conditions, Jackson said.
The Fort Collins utility noted that its electric infrastructure is buried underground and said PRPA’s investments in resiliency meant “the risk of outages associated with wind energy is significantly reduced.”
Loveland Utilities said 87% of its electrical infrastructure is underground and the remaining systems are protected to reduce the risk of damage that could cause a fire.
Poudre Valley REA provides power to portions of Larimer and Weld counties, including areas such as Red Feather Lake, Livermore, Poudre Canyon, Berthoud and Windsor.
PVREA said no planned outages are expected, but high winds could cause unplanned outages.
Here are links to select Northern Colorado power outage maps:
Coloradans will receive updates on power outages as needed.
This article originally appeared in the Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado weather, wind forecast prompts school closures