Colorado’s intense winds continued to upend the Denver Metro area Friday, knocking out power, felling trees and creating dangerous driving conditions.  

By 2:15 p.m., 71 power outages affected more than 10,000 Xcel Energy customers throughout the metro Denver area, Boulder, Arvada, Evergreen and Fort Collins, according to a spokesperson. 

The National Weather Service in Boulder and Colorado Department of Transportation also warned travelers about snow and wind creating hazardous conditions along the Interstate 70 corridor. CDOT periodically through Friday afternoon announced closures of the highway going both directions at various points because of safety concerns. The initial announcements followed crashes on both directions of I-70 between Exits 180 and 190 at Vail Pass. 

Dozens of semi-tractor trailer trucks were forced to pull over on I-25, south of Castle Rock, because of high wind restrictions for high profile vehicles. At least one blew over near Colorado Springs Friday.

There were no reports of injuries because of the winds, which topped more than 100 mph overnight in places like Boulder. 

The weather service has put out an advisory for blowing dust and limited visibility for the state’s plains east of Denver until 5 p.m. along with a high wind warning.  

By 3 p.m. forecasts for wind speeds around the Denver Metro are aslowed, but still included some predictions for gusts over 30 and 40 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service. 

• Denver International Airport: 33 mph 

• Aurora: 20 mph 

• Erie: 26 mph 

• Boulder: 17 mph 

• Centennial: 7 mph 

• Broomfield: 26 mph 

• Fort Collins: 24 mph 

• Longmont: 17 mph 

Colorado’s intense winds continued to upend the Denver Metro area Friday, knocking out power, felling trees and creating dangerous driving conditions.  

By 2:15 p.m., 71 power outages affected more than 10,000 Xcel Energy customers throughout the metro Denver area, Boulder, Arvada, Evergreen and Fort Collins, according to a spokesperson. 

The National Weather Service in Boulder and Colorado Department of Transportation also warned travelers about snow and wind creating hazardous conditions along the Interstate 70 corridor. CDOT periodically through Friday afternoon announced closures of the highway going both directions at various points because of safety concerns. The initial announcements followed crashes on both directions of I-70 between Exits 180 and 190 at Vail Pass. 

Dozens of semi-tractor trailer trucks were forced to pull over on I-25, south of Castle Rock, because of high wind restrictions for high profile vehicles. At least one blew over near Colorado Springs Friday.

There were no reports of injuries because of the winds, which topped more than 100 mph overnight in places like Boulder. 

The weather service has put out an advisory for blowing dust and limited visibility for the state’s plains east of Denver until 5 p.m. along with a high wind warning.  

By 3 p.m. forecasts for wind speeds around the Denver Metro are aslowed, but still included some predictions for gusts over 30 and 40 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service. 

• Denver International Airport: 33 mph 

• Aurora: 20 mph 

• Erie: 26 mph 

• Boulder: 17 mph 

• Centennial: 7 mph 

• Broomfield: 26 mph 

• Fort Collins: 24 mph 

• Longmont: 17 mph