More than 40,000 Colorado homes and businesses were still without power Saturday evening after a hurricane-force windstorm caused widespread outages across the Front Range, although utility crews managed to restore electricity to tens of thousands of customers throughout the day. Xcel Energy officia ls estimated most customers would have power restored by 10 p.m. Saturday, the company said in a news release. “Restoration for some customers may extend into Sunday due to severe damage and the location of the damage,” Xcel officials said Saturday morning. “Crews must visually inspect the lines for damage before repairs can be made and power restored.” Xcel started the day with 71,099 customers impacted by power outages, which dropped to 31,867 customers without power as of 5 p.m. Saturday. Four utility providers reported approximately 40,815 customers without power throughout the mountains, foothills and Denver metro on Saturday afternoon, including Jefferson, Boulder, Larimer, Weld, Clear Creek, Adams, Gilpin, Denver, Eagle, Grand, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Eagle, Lake, Summit, Douglas and Teller counties. CORE Electric officials said outages were affecting 6,097 customers on Saturday evening, followed by United Power with approximately 2,500 customers without power and Poudre Valley Electric with 351. Xcel officials said Friday a large number of the outages were tied to a public safety power shutoff, although the utility’s online outage map lists all of the power cuts as unplanned. This is the second power cut ordered by utility leaders this week, an effort to prevent downed powerlines from starting wildfires during high winds. “Customers who live in areas where power lines are underground, or do not see damage in their immediate area can still be impacted by a (public safety power shutoff) or power outage due to how their neighborhood connects to the larger grid,” Xcel officials said in a news release. It was a frustrating week for Arvada resident Wanda Shepherd, whose home lost power during both public safety power shutoffs. She and her husband counted themselves as lucky because of a solar wall, which they use to store energy from their solar panels, kept their refrigerator and freezer running for 12 hours Wednesday. Her parents, who live in a nearby assisted-living facility, were not as fortunate, and ended up staying with family in Wheat Ridge for part of the week. One of the most frustrating parts of the experiencing is not knowing why one house lost power while another house nearby did not, Shepherd said. “If it’s safe for the neighbors around us to have power, then fix whatever it is so we can have power and be safe as well,” she said. Her home’s power came back at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, and Shepherd has “never been more happy to do laundry,” she said. In an interview Thursday, Shepherd noted that shutoffs did not seem like a viable long-term solution during extreme winds. “There has to be a better system on windy days — which we get a lot of — than shutting down power stations,” she said. “I don’t see that as sustainable for people who live here.” Golden resident Regina Hansen also lost power during both shutoffs and eventually decided to pay for a hotel Friday night. She had to throw away all of the food in her fridge. Her son, who lives nearby, and neighbors are looking at buying generators in case of future outages, she said. Meanwhile Hansen, who moved here two years ago, is reconsidering how long she actually wants to stay in Colorado. “I really don’t like the situation, so it makes me not even sure if I want to stay here,” she said. Xcel’s handling of the outages, including the decision to cut power to 50,000 customers Wednesday and 69,000 customers Friday ahead of severe winds, also sparked criticism from Gov. Jared Polis on Friday. In a statement, Polis called on Xcel to provide more transparency and clear communication to customers and echoed concerns he raised after a similar power shutoff in 2024. Xcel Energy takes issue with “many of the assertions” Polis made, according to a statement sent to The Denver Post. Xcel officials have been communicating with customers and other stakeholders, including Polis’ office, about the wind storms and potential need for power cuts since Sunday, Xcel leaders said. Related Articles RTD trains to DIA delayed as crews make repairs; power outages stop W Line to Golden Power outages force Colorado ski resort to close for the day Schools west of metro Denver close Friday due to power outages amid winds NWS in Colorado issues rare ‘particularly dangerous situation’ red flag warning as winds could reach 100 mph Nearly 100,000 lose power amid severe wind on the Front Range; restoration could take ‘up to several days’ “Those actions were justified as this event turned into an unprecedented and extreme weather event – ultimately classified as a Particularly Dangerous Situation by the National Weather Service, the first such designation in Colorado’s history,” company officials said. Xcel leaders also pushed back on the claim that the company’s communication about the outages was lacking. “We recognize that being without power is difficult and frustrating for our customers, and we don’t take calling a PSPS lightly. Our top priority is always the safety of our customers and communities,” company officials said. Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter. ...read more read less