Dangerous winds cause power outages across Denver: Which areas are affected

DENVER (KDVR) — High winds battered the Front Range Monday, causing power outages for thousands of homes in the area.

The Pinpoint Weather team issued a Pinpoint Weather Alert Day for the winds , with gusts of up to 80 mph forecast for some areas. Parts of the Front Range were under a high wind warning until midnight on Monday.

There were no preemptive shutoffs ahead of the high-wind event, unlike in April when power to around 55,000 customers across the Front Range was turned off to avoid wildfires and other issues, according to the company. During that storm, approximately 100,000 additional customers suffered damage-related outages.

Xcel Energy confirmed to FOX31 that there were no plans to conduct any preemptive shutoffs as of Monday afternoon.

Xcel Energy outages

As of 5 p.m., there were 159 outages affecting 3,825 customers in the Denver metro area and Front Range. The majority of the outages were in Jefferson County.

The following counties were experiencing the most outages:

• Jefferson County : 2,340
• Boulder County : 710
• Weld County : 208
• Adams County: 145

Customers can check specific locations on the outage map to find if Xcel has an estimate for when power will be restored.

People can report outages through the company’s mobile app, at this webpage , by texting OUT to 98936 or calling the company at 1-800-895-1999.

Xcel told FOX31 that outages could be more frequent and last longer due to the weather event. Normally, the system will attempt to restore power automatically within a few seconds if something like a tree or a branch makes contact with a power line.

However, Xcel said that for the current weather event, it is changing the settings to prevent the automatic restoration and instead have crews patrol the area to ensure it is safe to restore power ahead of time.

No other power companies reported customer outages as of Monday afternoon.

According to the Pinpoint Weather team, it will be windy throughout Monday and into Tuesday, but the winds should die down by Wednesday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.