DENVER Two big weather stories will play out Wednesday in Colorados High Country and portions of the plains and I-25 corridor as high winds are expected to batter portions of the state. The wind and low humidity will also creat e conditions for the rapid spread of any fire along the I-25 corridor including the Denver metro area.It will be another unseasonable warm day on Tuesday, which is day 8 of 60 degree plus temps, said Lisa Hidalgo, Denver7 chief meteorologist. Unfortunately with the warmer, dry and windy conditions, were looking at higher fire danger.Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages are expected. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Strong winds will likely lead to rapid fire growth of any new fire, wrote National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters in Boulder. A high wind warning starts at 11 a.m Wednesday and will be in effect until midnight.Strong downslope winds to impact the mountains, foothills, and I-25 corridor Wednesday afternoon into Wednesday night, with potential for widespread gusts 60-85 mph, strongest near the base of the foothills. Breezy conditions will extend into the plains through Thursday morning.Colorados mountains and foothills above 9,000 feet could see up to 85 mph wind gusts on Wednesday. Wind gusts between 50 to 70 mph are also possible for the lower foothills and communities on the western side of the I-25 corridor, wrote the NWS, which called the weather system a high impact wind event. A red flag warning will go into effect starting at 11 a.m. Wednesday for the I-25 corridor to include Fort Collins, Boulder, the Denver metro, and Castle Rock through Colorado Springs.The NWS said the primary window of concern will run through 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday.Due to the wind situation, Xcel Energy customers should be advised the utility is planning for a Public Safety Power Shutoff, or PSPS, on Wednesday which means power would be proactively shut off in targeted areas for a period of time when wildfire risk is extremely high.Before any PSPS would happen, Xcel Energy would first use another tool called Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings or EPSS.EPSS are extra protections which allow power lines to remain active until an issue is detected such as a tree branch or other object touching a line, according to Xcel Energy.Once an issue is detected, power to the line is shut off. While Tuesday will remain mostly dry in Colorado, the weather system triggering Wednesdays high winds will also bring snow to the higher elevations.Hidalgo said there is a slight chance a shower could roll across the Denver metro area late Wednesday afternoon into the early evening hours.Stay with Denver7 for updates and we will publish a live, Colorado weather blog tracking impacts on Wednesday.Denver7's Stephanie Butzer contributed to this report. DENVER WEATHER LINKS: Hourly forecast | Radars | Traffic | Weather Page | 24/7 Weather StreamClick here to watch the Denver7 live weather stream. ...read more read less