Xcel Energy has initiated a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) for customers in Boulder, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Jefferson, Larimer, and Weld counties due to severe weather conditions. The National Weather Service has issued a Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) designation for the area.
Extreme fire risk is expected to persist between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Friday night, with strong winds likely causing additional outages that may last beyond this period. Even after the winds subside, power will not be restored immediately. Xcel Energy anticipates this to be a very severe weather event with unplanned outages affecting more customers than a typical PSPS.
Restoration efforts cannot begin until weather conditions improve. Crews must visually inspect lines, assess and repair damage, fix equipment, and safely restart power—a process that could take hours or days depending on the extent of the damage.
Since Wednesday, Xcel Energy crews have restored electricity to over 200,000 customers. As winds are expected to decrease late Friday night, hundreds of staff members are prepared to begin restoration work over the weekend. Some customers may remain without power for several days.
“The safety of our workers is paramount as they work in your neighborhood to restore electricity,” Xcel Energy stated. “We ask our customers to help keep our workers safe as they strive to restore power as quickly as possible.”
PSPS events are used to reduce wildfire risk and protect public safety. Decisions about these events rely on weather forecasts and other data sources; key factors include high winds, low relative humidity, and dry ground conditions—all present today.
The National Weather Service’s PDS alert associated with today’s Red Flag Warning marks the highest risk category used by the agency and applies especially at elevations between 5,500 and 9,000 feet in Jefferson and Boulder counties.
“Turning off power is not a decision taken lightly,” Xcel Energy said. “Restoration will begin as soon as it is safe for crews to start working.” The company reminded residents that some unplanned outages outside of PSPS events are also possible due to strong winds.
Customers living in areas with underground power lines or who do not see immediate damage may still be affected because of how their neighborhood connects to the larger grid.
To support those impacted by outages caused by strong wind conditions today, Xcel Energy is partnering with the American Red Cross and local emergency management offices to open resource centers where affected customers can charge phones and access emergency supplies:
– Evergreen Fire Station – 1802 Bergen Pkwy., Evergreen
– Gilpin County School – 10595 Highway 119, Black Hawk
– Wellspring Catholic Academy – 1100 Upham St., Lakewood
– Health and Wellness Center – 1969 Miner St., Idaho Springs
Red trucks from Xcel Energy will also be present at these locations providing support and information.
Customers are encouraged to report outages or any observed damage through various channels: via Xcel Energy’s mobile app available on Apple App Store or Google Play; online at xcelenergy.com/out; by texting OUT or STAT to 98936; or by calling 1-800-895-1999 using an automated phone reporting system designed for quick outage reporting.
Updates about severe weather events can be found on Xcel Energy’s Event Updates page online.
To prepare for potential outages, customers should keep devices charged and assemble an emergency kit including battery-powered radios or flashlights, backup chargers for phones, bottled water and non-perishable food items among other essentials listed by Xcel Energy. Those relying on medical equipment powered by electricity should make preparations for possible extended outages.
Xcel Energy continues investing in its systems since launching its Wildfire Mitigation program in 2020—efforts in 2024 included replacing over eight thousand distribution poles, inspecting nearly nineteen thousand poles and almost three thousand miles of transmission lines, making hundreds of priority repairs on transmission equipment, and installing new protective relays at substations.
“As an important reminder for customers who have medical equipment dependent on electric supply,” Xcel Energy said in its statement regarding preparation steps during extended outages.
The company serves millions across eight states from its headquarters in Minneapolis.
