The National Weather Service in Boulder says it is increasingly confident of a high-impact wind event for northern Colorado and the mountains on December 17.
Low winds will create a critical fire hazard and are increasingly likely to cause Xcel Energy to turn off power to the area.
As a result, several schools will be closed on December 17.
High wind warnings, watches and red flag warnings are in effect for most of the state.
The National Weather Service says damaging winds are expected to bring down trees and power lines, widespread power outages and difficult travel, especially for high-profile vehicles.
And any new fires that break out under these conditions would likely lead to rapid fire growth, the warning said.
The NWS advises people to avoid open burning or activities that cause sparks and to secure loose objects.
High wind warnings and watches are in effect for the Colorado mountains and northern Colorado counties on December 17, 2025.
What to expect around Fort Collins
The Fort Collins area is under a high wind warning from 11 a.m. until midnight on December 17, with a red flag warning between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.
West winds of 30 to 50 mph are expected, with gusts up to 80 mph in the Fort Collins, Boulder and western Denver suburbs areas.
The strongest gusts will peak in the 70-85 mph range, with 50-70 mph gusts relatively common, according to the forecast.
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In the mountains and foothills above 9,000 feet, the weather service has high confidence in wind gusts of 75 to 85 mph.
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In the foothills and lower elevations west of Interstate 25, there is an average confidence in gusts over 75 mph.
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Over the plains in the evening, there is a moderate to low confidence in gusts up to 60 mph.
The worst of the wind is expected in the afternoon.
Lighter winds are expected for Dec. 18, with a chance for stronger winds down Dec. 19, according to the NWS.
Xcel Could Cut Power Preemptively: Here’s Who It Could Affect
Xcel Energy says it is likely to proactively turn off power beginning at 10 a.m. Dec. 17 due to high winds, which increase the risk of power line damage and outages.
That would affect 50,000 customers in Boulder, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties, which is fewer than originally expected.
However, unplanned outages could also occur due to strong winds, the Xcel website notes.
In Larimer County, Xcel’s service area is a patchwork, but includes parts of all of its communities, such as Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, Timnath, Laporte, Wellington and Berthoud.
It could take several hours or days to restore power, Xcel said, as crews must examine and/or repair the lines before they can be re-energized.
Xcel said it would make a decision on the shutdown no later than the morning of Dec. 17.
Customers can check power status on Xcel’s outage map.
School closures were announced
Xcel serves many area schools, and districts have announced closures or alternative programs.
In the Poudre School District, the following schools will be closed: Bethke Elementary, Timnath Elementary, Timnath High School, Red Feather Lakes Elementary, Stove Prairie Elementary and Livermore Elementary. All athletics and activities at those schools will also be canceled.
All other PSD schools remain open.
In Weld RE-4, which is the district that covers Windsor and Severance schools, elementary schools will be closed and middle and high schools will operate on an alternate schedule:
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School will be canceled for students in kindergarten through fifth grade and there will be no AlphaBEST programming.
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Middle schools will release at 11:25 a.m. and high schools will release at 12:10 p.m. Lunch will be offered on a grab-and-go basis. There will be no after school practices, activities and events.
Colorado State University campuses are not expected to be affected by the Xcel shutdown, according to a social media post from CSU Police & Safety.
Will Fort Collins Utilities or PVREA have shutdowns?
Other electricity providers in Larimer County are not planning proactive outages. However, one of them said disruptions due to wind damage were still possible.
Municipal utilities serving Fort Collins and Loveland, whose power lines are buried, say they don’t expect any outages. Both get their wholesale power from the Platte River Power Authority.
PRPA is closely monitoring the weather event but is not planning a preemptive shutdown, Communications Supervisor Maia Jackson told The Coloradoan.
Jackson said PRPA has a strong vegetation management program so “the risk of our transmission lines starting a fire remains low.”
There are also protection systems configured to monitor transmission line operations and automatically open transmission line sections experiencing fault conditions, Jackson said.
Fort Collins Utilities noted that its electrical infrastructure is buried underground and said PRPA’s investments in resiliency mean a “significantly reduced risk of wind-related outages.”
The City of Loveland Utilities says 87 percent of its electrical infrastructure is underground, and the remaining system uses safeguards that reduce the risk of fire damage.
Poudre Valley REA provides electricity to parts of Larimer and Weld counties, including areas such as Red Feather Lakes, Livermore, Poudre Canyon, Berthoud and Windsor.
PVREA says it anticipates no planned outages, but strong winds could cause unexpected outages.
Here are links to select Northern Colorado power outage maps:
The Coloradoan will provide updates as needed regarding outages.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Colorado: Colorado weather, wind forecast prompts school closures