High winds cause mass power outage

To say that this past weekend's massive windstorm really blows is not only an excellent pun, but a bit of an understatement.

Xcel Energy notified Niwot residents via email that starting at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 6, Xcel would preemptively be de-energizing power lines in Boulder County resulting in an outage that may continue through at least Sunday. However many areas felt the effects of the power outage long past that point.

"Our top priority is ensuring the safety of our communities, customers, and work crews," stated Xcel in the initial Public Safety Alert email. "Due to exceptionally high winds and risk of wind-driven wildfire... electric service [for various communities] will be affected by a temporary safety-related shutoff."

After the events of the Marshall Fire in 2021, where it was determined that a disconnected Xcel power line was flapping loosely in the high winds, possibly contributing to the devastation of that wildfire, Xcel acted to prioritize the safety of communities by shutting off power in the areas with high wind as a precaution to prevent another wildfire.

Many residents lost power before 3 p.m. Saturday and continued without power well after Sunday at noon, as originally expected. Although initially Xcel notified customers that power would be turned back on around noon on Sunday (a 21-hour outage), many residents went on to experience over 28 hours without energy.

Xcel provided an advance list of preparations for an extended power outage, including making sure electronics are fully charged, mobile batteries have a full charge, there is access to AM/FM radio, and meals are prepared in advance. However, most people only prepared for a night of takeout, cooking on a gas stove and an extra blanket. In fact, temperatures in homes dropped well below 55 degrees, food spoiled in refrigerators and hot water was missing from hot water heaters making showers impractical.

A large fallen pine tree alongside Niwot Road was proof that the high winds could have caused serious fire and falling debris safety hazards for residents. Wind gusts were reported between 78-95 miles per hour.

No reports of injury or harm due to this weekend's weather events have been reported.

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