by North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
Strong winds and wildfire risk prompted outage; town outlines response and next steps
Windsor officials acknowledged the disruption caused by an Xcel Energy Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) on Wednesday, Dec. 17. They outlined how the town responded to protect residents, businesses, and essential services during extreme wind conditions across Northern Colorado.
Mayor Julie Cline and the Windsor Town Board said dangerous regional wind gusts—reported at more than 93 mph in parts of the state—caused the outage and increased wildfire risk to transmission lines serving Windsor. While the town does not control Xcel Energy’s equipment or operational decisions, officials said they remained in close communication with the utility ahead of the event to prepare for potential impacts.
Those preparations led Windsor to open its Agency Emergency Operations Center, bringing together staff from multiple departments, including Police, Public Works, and the Office of Emergency Management. The town coordinated closely with Windsor Severance Fire Rescue and local and regional partners to respond to the outage and related safety concerns.
Windsor is served by two electric providers—Xcel Energy and Poudre Valley REA—which helped limit the scope of outages compared to some neighboring Front Range communities. Town leaders noted, however, that having multiple providers and underground lines does not eliminate the risk of regional shutoffs when extreme weather threatens power infrastructure beyond local boundaries.
Town officials said Windsor is not expected to be included in any additional PSPS planned by Xcel Energy for Friday, Dec. 19. They also thanked town staff, emergency responders, utility partners, and county agencies for their coordination. They expressed appreciation to residents and business owners for their patience and neighborly support during the prolonged outage.
“We recognize that an outage of this length is a significant disruption,” the statement said. “While we hate the impact this shutoff had on our community and region, we sincerely appreciate everyone’s understanding and commitment to public safety during this unique weather event.”
More information on how Xcel Energy mitigates wildfire risk in Colorado is available at https://co.my.xcelenergy.com/s/outage-safety/wildfires/co-mitigation.
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Source: Town of Windsor
