Xcel Energy is preparing for a potential extreme fire risk event in northern Colorado, which may require a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) on January 16. The company has announced that about 9,000 customers in Larimer and Weld counties, including parts of Fort Collins and surrounding communities, could be affected if the shutoff takes place.
The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for Thursday and a Fire Weather Watch for Friday due to strong winds, low humidity, and dry ground conditions. Xcel Energy expects to decide whether to proceed with the PSPS by Thursday evening. If implemented, the shutoff would begin around 8 a.m. Friday, with weather conditions expected to improve by 4 p.m.
If power is turned off or there are other outages caused by weather across the system, restoration efforts will start once high winds and fire risks have ended. Restoring power may take several hours or even days because crews must inspect entire power lines before service can be safely restored.
Xcel Energy stated it will provide ongoing updates about the situation on its Event Update webpage and through direct outreach to potentially affected customers. Customers can check their address online to see if they might be impacted by the PSPS.
To prepare for possible outages, Xcel Energy recommends customers keep devices charged and assemble an emergency kit with items such as battery-powered radios, flashlights, bottled water, non-perishable food, backup phone chargers, manual can openers, first aid kits, extension cords for partial outages, and instructions for manually opening electric doors. Customers who rely on medical equipment powered by electricity are urged to take additional precautions in case of extended outages.
Outages can be reported through multiple channels: via the Xcel Energy mobile app available from Apple App Store or Google Play; online at xcelenergy.com/out; by texting OUT or STAT to 98936; or by calling 1-800-895-1999.
Xcel Energy continues to invest in its systems to reduce wildfire risk and limit both the scale and duration of power disruptions. The company serves millions of customers across eight states from its headquarters in Minneapolis.
For more information about preparations and updates during severe weather events, customers are encouraged to visit Xcel Energy’s website or follow its social media accounts on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
