Xcel Energy is preparing customers in the Rocky Mountain region for preemptive blackouts to help reduce the risk of wildfires as strong, dry winds threaten to knock down power lines.
The utility said it would likely shut off power starting at about noon Wednesday to some customers in nine counties including Denver, according to the company’s website. A stretch of near-record warm weather and dry conditions has created the potential for blazes in the area.
“It looks like a pretty formidable event,” said Scott Kleebauer, a forecaster with the US Weather Prediction Center. “It is going to be a pretty windy day across Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.”
An Xcel representative said Tuesday that the company is still determining the scope of the shutoffs.
Once a California phenomenon, utilities across the U.S. are now increasingly opting to turn off electricity to prevent downed power lines and other equipment from sparking catastrophic wildfires. Power companies serving about 24 million homes and businesses across the fire-prone U.S. West now have plans to proactively cut electricity at peak fire danger, according to a 2024 report from Stanford University researchers.
Winds will start to rise early Wednesday across the mountains and late morning across lower elevations peaking in intensity during the afternoon and lasting until Thursday, said Stephen Rodriguez, a weather service meteorologist in Pueblo, Colorado.
At higher elevations, hurricane-strength gusts may reach 80 miles (129 kilometers) per hour, with lower locations seeing them as high as 70 mph. The stiff winds will shake power lines, which can spark fires if they fall.
“We are expecting an active day here on Wednesday,” Rodriguez said.
In addition to the winds, conditions are dry and will be unseasonably warm, with temperatures about 20F degrees above normal throughout the region, Rodriguez said.
Dry weather and high winds have previously caused destructive fires at this time of year. The Marshall fire began near Boulder on Dec. 30, 2021, and burned more than 1,000 homes and dozens of commercial structures. It killed two people.
While weather conditions are projected to improve Wednesday evening, restoring power can take several hours or days because crews must inspect lines and repair damage before they can be safely re-energized, according to Xcel.
Sullivan and Saul write for Bloomberg.