About 50,000 lose power across Denver area as winds hammer Front Range

[TexasTowelie]

An estimated 50,000 lost power at some point on Christmas Day in the Denver area as winds hammered the Front Range. Gusts, stemming from a winter storm that left snow throughout the high country, reached 80 mph in some spots.

Xcel Energy indicated outages — some affecting thousands — were in and around the city, although clustered mainly west of Interstate 25. By about 9:30 p.m., some 13,000 were still without electricity.

“We’re on it. Trying to get to it as quickly as possible,” said Mark Stutz, a spokesman for the utility. “The bulk of the outages have been from branches and trees in our lines, or broken branches and trees. There have been some poles and/or wires down as well.”

Reports are that the winds should subside after 8 p.m., he said. In the meantime, Xcel has intensified operations to get outages fixed. More than double the normal number of crews are out working on homes and the utility is planning to seek help from neighboring power providers.

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/2016/12/25/denver-area-residents-without-power/

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. 80 mph is not that unusual along the Front Range.

I lived in Boulder for a while. Not long after we moved there winds of 105 mph blew down an overpass being built.

My younger son still recalls being blown off his feet by a gust of wind that was maybe 40mph or so.

We learned to pay attention to wind forecasts before putting our garbage out for pick up.

[politicat]

2. It wasn't that bad... as weather. Xcel was more useless than normal, though.

I had a relative in a nursing home in the blackout zone. Nursing home has generators, so life-critical stuff kept working, but comfort stuff was off-line. In that area, the nursing home is the only customer, so Xcel considered them a "low priority", not realizing that 300 people in assisted living and nursing care needed power. The nursing home was without power for over 24 hours.

My relative was circling the drain anyway, and electricity would not have eased her passing nor prolonged her life. But the poor staff had to work twice as hard, and holiday shifts are always hard anyway.

I am so irritated with Xcel.