A red flag warning due to powerful winds Friday is prompting another day of power shut-offs in northern Colorado. It could affect 9,000 homes in Weld and Larimer counties, Xcel Energy said.
The measure from Xcel Energy, called a public safety power shut-off, or PSPS, aims to remove electricity from power lines that could be knocked down and spark a wildfire. A similar incident was blamed for the Marshall fire, which ignited in 2021. The fire quickly spread across Boulder County and destroyed more than 1,000 homes.
As of 9:45 a.m. Friday, nearly 6,000 homes in Larimer County and 800 homes in Weld County were without power, according to the Xcel outage map.
Xcel Energy will continue to monitor the situation through Friday and says the PSPS is expected to run until 4 p.m., when the winds are forecast to begin dying down. The red flag warning runs until 6 p.m. Friday, and the National Weather Service is calling for wind gusts up to 65 mph.
The most recent PSPS was in December of last year. On Dec. 17, thousands of residents across northern Colorado lost power as winds hit Boulder and Fort Collins. The power outage lasted through Dec. 21 for some. Nearby community centers, like libraries, opened their doors for people to use their power outlets.
Friday’s school closures include the following Poudre School District schools: Cache la Poudre Elementary, Cache la Poudre Middle, Timnath Elementary, and Timnath Middle-High School. Ridgeline Middle from Weld County District 4 is also closed.
Xcel Energy urges residents to check its outage map for the latest details.