DENVER High winds are a concern across Colorado on Wednesday as gusts up to 90 mph are expected in areas above 9,000 feet. Along with the wind threat in the mountains and foothills, up to 75 mph wind gusts are possible in the l ower elevations of the foothills and areas west of I-25.The National Weather Service (NWS) in Boulder called the system a "high impact wind event" and up to 60 mph gusts are possible across the northern plains.Along with the high winds, expected to roll through by late mid-morning, dry conditions will also fuel a higher fire danger in the Denver metro area Wednesday.Both high wind and red flag warnings are in effect. You can check the latest Colorado weather alerts at this link.Xcel Energy is expected to turn off power in some areas due to the high winds in an effort to reduce wildfire risk. More on that below.The Denver7 team is tracking the latest conditions, alerts, power outages and travel impacts in the Colorado weather blog below. Refresh this page for updates.LINKS: Closings and Delays | Latest forecast | Radars | Traffic | Weather Page | 24/7 Weather StreamTuesday, December 165:49 p.m. | CU Boulder closed Wednesday | CU Boulder issued a class cancellation and administrative campus closure over high winds in the forecast and the power outages planned because of them."Administrative Closure means that administrative functions of the campus are closed so that the campus can implement the protocols required to continue essential services (dining, housing, facilities, safety, etc.) and clear branches as needed," the district explained.5:15 p.m. | Weld RE-4 School District impact | Due to forecasted high wind gusts and potential power shut offs, Weld County RE-4 School District announced classes will be cancelled Wednesday for elementary school students from preschool through 5th grade.There will be an early release at 11:25 a.m. for middle school students and the HS will release students as 12:10 p.m.Here's what the district said on social media:We have been made aware that our area is expected to have a strong wind event forecast on Wednesday, Dec. 17. Xcel Energy has notified us that it is highly likely that they will enter Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings on Wednesday and will proactively shut off power to prevent wildfire environments, including our campuses.As a result, we will have alternate schedules for Wednesday, Dec. 17:Elementary Schools School will be canceled for students in grades preschool through 5th. There will be no AlphaBEST programming.Middle and High Schools Middle schools will release at 11:25 a.m. and high schools will release at 12:10 p.m. Individual schools will provide alternate class schedules. Lunch will be provided on a grab-and-go basis. Transportation will be shifted to accommodate the revised bell schedule.There will be no afterschool practices, activities, and events.All facility rentals will be canceled for Wednesday, Dec. 17.Here's the full news release. 5:00 p.m. | 52,000 Xcel Energy customers could lose power 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.Here's what Xcel Energy said in a Tuesday afternoon news release:"Xcel Energy is planning for a likely PSPS beginning around 10 a.m., impacting around 52,000 customers in Boulder, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties. Risk assessments based on the latest forecast data and advanced modelling tool outputs, as well as recent improvements to grid infrastructure, have enabled us to reduce the size of the affected areas. Due to changing weather conditions, the PSPS event is now expected to begin at 10 a.m. rather than at 12 noon."Xcel Energy added that outages are possible in areas outside of a PSPS.Here's more on how the Public Safety Power Shutoff works.Click here to watch the Denver7 live weather stream. ...read more read less