Update, Saturday, Jan. 17
5:00 a.m.
By Saturday morning, less than a dozen outages remained throughout Weld and Larimer counties, with most of those outages being "unplanned" according to Xcel's website.
Friday, Jan. 16
4:00 p.m.
About 18,000 Xcel Energy customers in Larimer and Weld counties are without power. The company’s outage map shows that most of the outages are planned, though several are classified as unplanned.
Xcel says power should be restored to most customers by Saturday.
1:00 p.m.
Xcel Energy is now reporting more than 5,000 power outages in the Greeley area. The majority of those appear to be unplanned outages.
In Larimer County, the number of outages now tops 10,000.
11:30 a.m.
Xcel Energy is now reporting more than 3,000 people without power in the Fort Collins and Loveland areas. Check the company's outage maps for the latest locations.
The company has also announced charging stations at the following locations:
- Old Town Library, 201 Peterson Street, Fort Collins, CO 80524 (Open until 6 p.m.)
- Council Tree Library, 2733 Council Tree Avenue, #200, Fort Collins, CO 80525 (Open until 8 p.m.)
- Harmony Library (Front Range Community College) 4616 S Shields St, Fort Collins, CO 80526 (Open until 6 p.m.)
- Loveland Library 300 N. Adams Avenue, Loveland, CO 80537 (Open until 6 p.m.)
- Windsor Recreation Center, 250 N 11th St., Windsor (Open until 9 p.m.)
9:30 a.m.
According to Xcel Energy's outage map, more than 1,500 people in Fort Collins are without power. Many of these are reportedly unplanned outages. Xcel says they're working to restore electricity.
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Original story
A red flag warning due to powerful winds on Friday is prompting another day of possible power shutoffs in Northern Colorado.
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The measure from Xcel Energy, called a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), aims to remove electricity from powerlines 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.
Xcel Energy will continue to monitor the situation through Friday and says the PSPS is expected to run from 8:00 a.m. to 4 p.m., when the winds are forecast to begin dying down.
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.
KUNC News will continue to update this story.
