Metro Denver and Colorado’s Front Range will be buffeted by extreme winds Saturday that threaten power outages as well as property and tree damage, and pose a high risk of fueling wildfires, the National Weather Service warned.
As of Saturday morning, maximum gusts were expected to be in the 60 mph to 65 mph range in Denver, in the 75 mph to 80 mph range in the foothills west of the city, and in the 80 mph to 85 mph range in the Boulder and Estes Park areas, according to NWS forecasters.
The full magnitude of the winds will depend on the track of the incoming storm, forecasters wrote on social media, but there remains “some threat of 100 mph winds in/near the Front Range foothills.”
Xcel Energy is warning that it may preemptively cut power to residents in parts of Boulder, Gilpin and Jefferson counties due to the extremely high wildfire risk. Xcel is facing hundreds of lawsuits after investigators concluded one of the company’s powerlines helped spark the wind-driven Marshall fire in Boulder County in 2021; the utility has disputed that conclusion.
Saturday’s winds are expected to develop throughout the day, strengthening through the night and lasting into Sunday afternoon, forecasters said.
The areas NWS officials expect to be impacted include the foothills, the Interstate 25 corridor and all of the Eastern Plains.
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Blowing snow is expected in the mountains on Saturday, and NWS forecasters say snow showers also are likely in metro Denver in the morning and afternoon — though no accumulation is expected. Highs in the Denver area are forecast to reach the upper 40s on Saturday.
In the mountains, there’s a winter weather advisory in place through 6 a.m. Sunday due to blowing and drifting snow. Poor travel conditions are expected along the Interstate 70 corridor through the mountains, NWS forecasters warned.
The winds will continue into Sunday, but it will also be warmer, with temperatures expected to reach the upper 50s. Northwest winds should continue in the 20 mph to 30 mph range on Sunday, with gusts up to 45 mph before the windstorm dies down.
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