Gov. Jared Polis called out Xcel Energy Friday afternoon, saying the utility had to do a better job at communicating how long its outages would last.

The statement comes at the end of a week of severe wind in the Front Range, with Xcel intentionally turning off the power to at least 48,000 customers on multiple occasions to mitigate potential wildfire risks.

The second planned outage, which began for many as early as 5 a.m. Friday, could very well last overnight and into the weekend as officials said crews could not work to begin restoring power until the weather subsides, which could be as late as 10 p.m.

The energy provider added that power will not be able to be immediately restored until the severe weather subsides and crews can physically inspect lines before they re-energize them.

Nearly 90,000 Coloradans were without power as of 4 p.m. Friday, the second time in as many days that approximately the same amount of people were left in the dark, according to Xcel Energy’s Electric Outage Map.

Polis says Xcel needs to be more transparent

In a statement issued Friday afternoon, Polis said that Xcel’s communications with its customers need to be more transparent, and it needs to be clearer as to the timeline for which people will be without power.

“No Coloradan should be wondering if they will or will not have power, and when it may be turned on again, or worse, receive no communication or confusing communication,” Polis said in a news release. “Xcel Energy must do their part in keeping communities safe, while also ensuring they are informing communities with the best, most up-to-date information possible before, during and after weather events so that people, schools and institutions can make informed decisions.”

The governor added that he plans to address his concerns in more detail with the energy provider after the current incident has been dealt with.

The statement bookends a week of criticism directed toward Xcel Energy. Many affected by the power shutoffs, both intentional and unintentional, have been openly critical toward the provider online for its lack of effective communication.

“When are you planning to give those who have been without power since 10 a.m. yesterday any sort of useful update? Your outage map doesn’t work. It’s inexcusable to not provide an update to the tens of thousands of people who may be without power for days,” one user wrote on Facebook Thursday.

During news conferences on Wednesday and Thursday, Xcel Energy Colorado President Robert Kenney acknowledged that they could not be more precise with a concrete timeline for restoring their customers’ power, as the process for doing so requires crews to first physically inspect the power lines, which can take time.

Kenney also noted that he thought the organization had done a good job at communicating updates about the outages.

“We’ve been doing press releases, we’ve been doing calls two to three times a day with our offices of emergency management, who are then pushing out communications to their communities,” Kenney said. “I think we are communicating as frequently as we can and as transparently as we can. That said, there’s always an opportunity for improvement and I know that’s never going to satisfy everybody.”

Power outages in six counties overlap with Wednesday shutoff

Six counties were affected by intentional Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) Friday morning as Xcel Energy strove to mitigate the effects of critical wildfire conditions.

About 64,000 people in those counties — Boulder, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld — woke up without power Friday because it was intentionally turned off, according to Xcel. Additional outages were likely caused by wind-related effects, such as downed wires or tree branches.

About 50,000 people in five of the six counties, all except Gilpin, were targeted by the PSPS on Wednesday. The overlap in area with Friday’s PSPS is why crews worked to restore power while winds were relatively milder Thursday afternoon, said Xcel Energy Colorado President Robert Kenney at a Thursday news conference.

“We don’t want any customer to be out longer than they have to (be),” Kenney said. “If there’s a customer that’s out on Wednesday that’s also going to be in scope for Friday, we don’t want them to be without power, so we’re going to work to restore them even if it means we’re going to de-energize that line again on Friday.

All but 6,000 customers, some of whom had been powerless for nearly 36 hours, had their power restored as of 9 p.m. Thursday, according to Xcel’s Electric Outage Map. That number had ballooned back up to about 90,000 by Friday morning.

At its height, the number of people without power from Wednesday’s outage reached about 160,000, Kenney said.

Strong and dangerous winds continue to impact the foothills, particularly in Boulder County, with gusts still reaching up to 80 mph in some locations.

As a result, several highways are currently closed due to unsafe conditions, particularly for high-profile vehicles. Motorists should expect sudden changes in travel conditions and consider delaying non-essential trips. 

Severe winds, critical fire conditions in the foothills Friday

The dry, windy and warm weather in the foothills led to the National Weather Service Boulder issuing a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” alert for Larimer, Boulder and Jefferson counties early Friday morning.

The alert notes sustained winds between 45 and 55 mph, with potential gusts upwards of 85 to 105 mph, as well as relative humidity levels dropping into the low teens or even single-digits. It spans from 5 a.m. Friday until midnight.

“Conditions will be favorable for extremely rapid fire spread,” the NWS wrote on the alert. “Avoid outdoor burning and any activity that may produce a spark and start a wildfire.”

Friday is expected to be the windiest and driest day of the week. On Wednesday, during the first PSPS, the NWS reported winds reaching as high as 96 mph.

The winds are expected to die down Friday night, with Saturday morning gusts as high as 29 mph and a western breeze between 9 and 15 mph.

When will Xcel turn the power back on?

Wind conditions will be too unsafe for crews to begin the inspection and restoration process until they begin to subside between 8 and 10 p.m. Friday, Xcel officials said Friday.

Kenney emphasized during Thursday’s news conference that the timeline for restoring power only begins when it is safe for crews to do so, and customers should not expect their electricity to come back on at that time.

“I think there was an assumption from the general public that when there was a PSPS, it would come back on quicker than a normal outage,” Kenney said. “That is not accurate … (Wednesday’s) wind event subsided at six o’clock. We cannot flip a switch and turn the power back on at six o’clock.”

Kenney added that the reason for the inability is because crews need to physically inspect each power line to ensure it is safe to re-energize it before doing so. The president also noted that the organization has 678 line miles of electrical wire that need to pass that physical inspection.

Some affected by Friday’s PSPS said Xcel told them they could be in the dark as long as until Sunday. Kenney did not give a prediction for restoration at his news conference Thursday but said the process could take “hours to days.”

Stores remain open in windswept Evergreen

While slews of downed trees crossed the roadway in Evergreen Friday morning, stores remained open downtown.

“I figured it’s too dangerous to stay at my house, so I may as well open the shop,” said Beth Riser, owner of the Evergreen Gallery.

Riser added that she had lived at her house in the town for over 20 years and had never seen a tree fall on her property. On Friday, she had seen five.

The town is one of several in Boulder County affected by both power shutoffs on Wednesday and Friday, according to Xcel’s outage map.

Many of the trees across the road were too big to move, and forced drivers to take odd routes to avoid them as crews had yet to clear them as of midday Friday. One was cut with a chainsaw and moved to both sides of the roadway.

Sandy Cooper, owner of the Silver Arrow, said that she wanted to make sure her shop was open just in case anyone needed anything.

“This is one of the biggest sale days of the year,” Cooper said.

DIA flights delayed, roads closed, RTD services affected

Denver International Airport issued a ground stop until 10 a.m. Friday due to the wind, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The stop delayed arrivals an average of 30 minutes.

The administration then put a ground delay program into effect from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday. Flights were delayed an average of two hours because of high winds.

Over 1,000 flights had been delayed as of 3:30 p.m. and 47 had been canceled, according to flightaware.com.

Additionally, the Colorado Department of Transportation said in a Friday morning news release that several major roadways would be closed Friday due to safety concerns:

• CO 93 both directions from 64th Avenue (Arvada) to CO 170.
• CO 72 both directions from CO 7 to Ward Road.
• US 36 both directions from Boulder to Lyons.
• CO 128 both directions from CO 93 to McCaslin Boulevard.

The Regional Transportation District announced that its W Line between Federal Center Station and the JeffCo Government Center Station would be impacted by Friday’s outage in a Thursday evening news release.

Like during Wednesday’s shutoff, the agency will bus connections along the line while the power remains out, according to the release. All ticket machines and fare validators at the JeffCo station will also be non-operational while they are powerless.

The service impacts are related to the RTD’s traction power substations, which supply electrical power to the rail system, it said in the release.

Eldora ski resort closed for day

Eldora ski resort, located near Nederland, one of the towns affected by the PSPS, announced Friday morning that it would be closed for the day due to the shutoff, according to its conditions page.

The resort also posted an alert from Boulder County on its website:

“On Friday, Dec. 19, we ask that people stay home and off the roads. Wind conditions will be dangerously high, especially in areas west of Broadway in Boulder and along the foothills. There will be significant debris in the roads, including downed limbs and power lines, and some traffic signals will be out.”

Shelters, charging centers open for those without power

The American Red Cross of Colorado has opened temporary shelters and a charging center for those without power.

The charging center is located at Evergreen Fire/Rescue: 1802 Bergen Parkway, Evergreen, according to the American Red Cross on social media.

Additionally, two shelters remain open to those impacted by the outages:

• Wellspring Catholic Academy: 1100 Upham St., Lakewood

• Gilpin County School: 10595 State Route 119, Black Hawk

Denver Gazette Photographer Stephen Swofford contributed to this report.