Xcel Energy announced on March 13 that it is preparing for a strong wind event and a likely Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) expected to begin around 2 p.m. on March 14, potentially affecting about 18,000 customers in Boulder and Jefferson counties. The company said the National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning due to very high winds and dry conditions along the Front Range, marking what is forecasted to be the warmest and driest day of this period of high fire danger.
The planned PSPS aims to reduce wildfire risk and support public safety as severe weather conditions are anticipated. Xcel Energy reported it was able to lower the number of customers expected to be impacted by the shutoff. While weather conditions may start improving between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., high winds that could create wildfire risks are expected to continue through the weekend, possibly causing outages beyond the PSPS areas.
Restoration efforts will begin once it is safe for crews to patrol lines after high winds subside, but power restoration could take several hours or even days because each power line must be checked before being re-energized. The company warned that with continued high winds forecasted for Saturday, outages may persist into Sunday.
Xcel Energy said it will keep reaching out to affected customers with updates throughout the event. Customers can find updates, safety tips, outage reporting options, and check if their address may be affected by visiting Xcel Energy’s Event Update webpage or following its social media channels.
The company encouraged all customers to prepare emergency kits with essential items such as battery-powered radios, flashlights, bottled water, non-perishable food, backup phone chargers, first aid kits, and instructions for manually opening power-operated doors. Customers who rely on medical equipment powered by electricity are urged to make special preparations for possible extended outages.
Xcel Energy stated it continues investing in systems designed to reduce wildfire risk and limit disruptions from extreme weather events. The company serves millions of customers across eight states from its headquarters in Minneapolis.
