CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. — Schools and government offices in Clear Creek County were closed Thursday due to a countywide power outage, the sheriff's office posted on social media.
The school district had initially planned to open on a two-hour delay but announced the closure later Thursday morning due to the "extended" outage.
Xcel Energy said the outage initially impacted roughly 4,000 customers, but that number was cut to around 736 by around 10:30 a.m., according to its outage map. The utility estimated power would be restored by 1:30 p.m.
The National Weather Service in Boulder recorded wind gusts as high as 102 mph in the state Wednesday night into Thursday morning, including three gusts of 67 mph or stronger in Clear Creek County. The NWS indicated high winds may have been responsible for knocking out power to customers in Gilpin and Clear Creek counties.
🌬️High winds rocked parts of the Front Range Mountains and Foothills last night, topping 80 mph in several locations and as high as 102 mph at one location in the foothills of Boulder County! Here are the recorded peak gusts. #COwx pic.twitter.com/dT0TTs9ucH
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) December 19, 2024
All homes, businesses, schools and government offices were impacted, according to the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office. The agency advised to expect delays and closures in the area. That includes Idaho Springs, Silver Plume, Russell Gulch, Empire, Dumont, Lawson, Georgetown and Central City.
Stoplights and overhead street lights were out across the area, Scripps News Denver Traffic Expert Jayson Luber observed Thursday morning from Colorado Department of Transportation traffic cameras.
It is still super dark in parts of Clear Creek County right now. There is a large power outage that is still affecting Idaho Springs/Georgetown/Empire/Central City. pic.twitter.com/NqTuFuCUQi
— Jayson Luber (@Denver7Traffic) December 19, 2024
The outage started around 3:10 a.m., but the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office said at 5:31 a.m., it did not know what caused the power to go down.
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