After Xcel Energy outages rolled through the Front Range Wednesday, nearly 90,000 Coloradans woke up without power Thursday.

The electricity shutoffs, which affected Boulder, Larimer, Jefferson, Weld and Clear Creek counties, were an intentional tactic used by the energy provider to prevent downed wires from sparking wildfires in the case of a severe wind event with an abundance of dry fuel, Xcel officials said Wednesday.

Officials said Wednesday that delays in restoring power could happen.

Power lines outside of the listed counties were placed on an enhanced safety setting that would immediately cut the flow of electricity in the case of a detected fault, such as a tree branch, also mitigating the potential negative effects of a downed wire.

They also said it could take several hours or even days until that power is restored.

HIGH WINDS EXPECTED THURSDAY AND FRIDAY

Wednesday’s winds reached 96 mph, averaging about 30-40 mph, according to the National Weather Service Boulder.

Those high wind speeds, combined with low relative humidity and a high wildfire index, met the criteria Xcel uses to evaluate whether an intentional shutoff — officially classified as a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) — was needed, Xcel Energy Colorado President Robert Kenney said at a news conference Wednesday.

Thursday morning’s forecast will be similar, with average winds between 35 and 50 mph and gusts as high as 85 mph in the Front Range until about 11 a.m., according to the NWS.

While those winds will decrease throughout Thursday afternoon and into the evening, they are expected to pick up overnight and come back again Friday, averaging between 39 and 44 mph, with that average increasing to between 50 and 55 mph in the afternoon, with gusts again as high as 85 mph.

OUTAGES COULD CONTINUE THROUGH WEEKEND

At the same news conference Wednesday, Kenney noted that the scope of the damages from the initial storm, as well as additional winds Thursday and Friday, could mean that some will be without power for several days.

“If there’s a line that’s damaged during the wind event and it’s laying on the ground, we can’t just remotely energize that line without inspecting it visually,” Kenney said. “We have to physically inspect what we’re anticipating just from the PSPS, 678 line miles, on top of any additional damage that’s done during the storm.”

Kenney also noted that crews can only inspect the wires when it is safe to do so. The nearly 400 Xcel personnel who were on standby Wednesday couldn’t begin the inspection and restoration process until after the high winds had subsided, around 6 p.m.

Friday’s shutoff could start as early as 5 a.m., Xcel said on its Facebook Page Wednesday night. The energy provider said the influx of additional winds as well as the continuation of bone-dry conditions will contribute to the decision to institute another shutoff.

BOULDER VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT SCHOOLS CLOSED THURSDAY

Despite remaining open throughout the day Wednesday, Boulder Valley School District will close its schools and other childcare programs Thursday due to the impacts from the windstorm and outages, according to a social media post from the Boulder Office of Disaster Management.

Jefferson County, despite being closed Wednesday, said it would reopen at 10 a.m. Thursday in areas where power has been restored, it said on its own social media page Wednesday night.

Jefferson County schools that remain closed Thursday are those without power or that use water from a treatment plant that is without power.

The University of Colorado Boulder issued a two-hour delay start Thursday after some of its facilities were without power the day before, according to its social media page.

EMERGENCY SHELTER AND CHARGING CENTERS OPEN

The American Red Cross Colorado opened an emergency shelter and charging centers in Gilpin County for those affected by the outages.

The shelter is at Gilpin County School, 10595 State Route 119, Black Hawk, according to a social media post from the Red Cross Colorado.

Additionally, the Red Cross has opened two charging centers:

• Belmar Library: 555 S. Allison Parkway, Lakewood

• Evergreen Library: 5000 County Highway 73, Evergreen

This is a developing story and will be updated.