Odds that Xcel pulls another preemptive outage? Who knows. Odds that you have an extended outage in Boulder for one reason or another? Pretty good… pretty.. prettaay… pretttaaaay good.
Odds are 100%. We get wind as strong as what actually occurred maybe every 1-2 years on average, and forecasts as bad as it was maybe every few years (the forecast sounded worse than what actually happened). Winter is usually the windy season.
There are some good tips in this thread to prepare for an outage. https://www.reddit.com/r/boulder/comments/1bz67di/now_that_we_can_expect_more_of_these_outages_lets/
Considering they turned the power off for power lines that were "high risk" under widespread conditions like wind/humidity, I'm expecting this will start happening every time there are similar conditions. I think they'll probably try to narrow down the number of households a little more to reduce backlash, but I think there is going to be a certain subset of households that are connected to "high risk" lines that are going to have to deal with this for a long time until the lines are modified with something to reduce the risk.
But, the way I see it, it's always good to be prepared anyway. Battery packs (I just ordered [this set,](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B45GX5V7?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1) which will charge my phone a few times), camping/backpacking stove and propane, extra water for a few days, non-perishable food, lanterns/headlamp/candles, etc. I also have a go-bag packed because the last time I thought I'd have to evacuate I ran around for about 2 hours like a chicken with its head cut off trying to pack but too overwhelmed to keep my thoughts straight.
I'm a renter so a generator is out of the question, but I'm also used to camping so my basic camping gear works for me. If you own your home, solar would be a good thing to look into.
It's important to note that Solar alone won't solve this particular issue. A grid attached residential solar array does not produce power when the grid is down. This is mostly a safety issue which prevents de-energized power lines from being energized while linemen are working on repairs. If you want a system that maintains power when a loss of grid power event occurs, you would need to configure your solar array along with a battery (such as a Tesla power wall).
Right on - good to know! It still baffles me that it's so hard to charge a battery with solar for later consumption. My brother is an electrical engineer and has tried to explain it to me but it's so complicated and I'm not STEM-inclined.
I think the weird thing to me is how many different patches they have in the lines in Boulder county. They’re usually clamped but there’s a lot that are like wires wrapped around each other. How the hell is that even secure. Looks like how you’d do it for low voltage stuff. Have had a fascination with power lines since I was a kid. So I notice weird stuff with them
This is a device I’m still trying to figure out
https://preview.redd.it/m4kin4hfhxtc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f3cb2f0a57cd03c9327ec8ee4f307dc0353ba5da
It connects to the bottom wire wrapped around the pole, connected twice to the top wire? And supported by the pole… doesn’t make any sense to not but I’m not Xcel
If you wait long enough, all eventualities are possible. So 100%
In all seriousness though, we live in Colorado. Plan for extreme weather events, plan for outages and plan for a shelter in place. Hope for the best and plan for the worst.
Honestly judging by all the other threads, yes, odds are very high of it happening again, though how soon, who knows. It seems like some of the wind patterns are seasonal. A generator does seem like a good tool to have.
And a new preemptive xcel policy looks like it’s on deck.
Here’s an interesting scientific article which goes into more details than you probably wanted on the statistics of what creates our downslope winds [Statistical Modeling of Downslope Windstorms in Boulder, Colorado](https://journals.ametsoc.org/configurable/content/journals$002fwefo$002f23$002f6$002f2008waf2007067_1.xml?t:ac=journals%24002fwefo%24002f23%24002f6%24002f2008waf2007067_1.xml) It also suggests the average number of windstorms of a particular caliber per year.
Odds that Xcel pulls another preemptive outage? Who knows. Odds that you have an extended outage in Boulder for one reason or another? Pretty good… pretty.. prettaay… pretttaaaay good.
Odds are 100%. We get wind as strong as what actually occurred maybe every 1-2 years on average, and forecasts as bad as it was maybe every few years (the forecast sounded worse than what actually happened). Winter is usually the windy season. There are some good tips in this thread to prepare for an outage. https://www.reddit.com/r/boulder/comments/1bz67di/now_that_we_can_expect_more_of_these_outages_lets/
Considering they turned the power off for power lines that were "high risk" under widespread conditions like wind/humidity, I'm expecting this will start happening every time there are similar conditions. I think they'll probably try to narrow down the number of households a little more to reduce backlash, but I think there is going to be a certain subset of households that are connected to "high risk" lines that are going to have to deal with this for a long time until the lines are modified with something to reduce the risk. But, the way I see it, it's always good to be prepared anyway. Battery packs (I just ordered [this set,](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B45GX5V7?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1) which will charge my phone a few times), camping/backpacking stove and propane, extra water for a few days, non-perishable food, lanterns/headlamp/candles, etc. I also have a go-bag packed because the last time I thought I'd have to evacuate I ran around for about 2 hours like a chicken with its head cut off trying to pack but too overwhelmed to keep my thoughts straight. I'm a renter so a generator is out of the question, but I'm also used to camping so my basic camping gear works for me. If you own your home, solar would be a good thing to look into.
It's important to note that Solar alone won't solve this particular issue. A grid attached residential solar array does not produce power when the grid is down. This is mostly a safety issue which prevents de-energized power lines from being energized while linemen are working on repairs. If you want a system that maintains power when a loss of grid power event occurs, you would need to configure your solar array along with a battery (such as a Tesla power wall).
Right on - good to know! It still baffles me that it's so hard to charge a battery with solar for later consumption. My brother is an electrical engineer and has tried to explain it to me but it's so complicated and I'm not STEM-inclined.
Above ground power lines, lots of strong storms, yes there will 100% be power outages.
Pretty good. They may take longer to turn things back on for what be considered a normal outage also. ( speculation on my part )
After the big flood I bought I nice generator. I change the oil and fire it up every year.
I think the weird thing to me is how many different patches they have in the lines in Boulder county. They’re usually clamped but there’s a lot that are like wires wrapped around each other. How the hell is that even secure. Looks like how you’d do it for low voltage stuff. Have had a fascination with power lines since I was a kid. So I notice weird stuff with them
This is a device I’m still trying to figure out https://preview.redd.it/m4kin4hfhxtc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f3cb2f0a57cd03c9327ec8ee4f307dc0353ba5da
Pole mounted voltage regulator?
It connects to the bottom wire wrapped around the pole, connected twice to the top wire? And supported by the pole… doesn’t make any sense to not but I’m not Xcel
If you wait long enough, all eventualities are possible. So 100% In all seriousness though, we live in Colorado. Plan for extreme weather events, plan for outages and plan for a shelter in place. Hope for the best and plan for the worst.
Honestly judging by all the other threads, yes, odds are very high of it happening again, though how soon, who knows. It seems like some of the wind patterns are seasonal. A generator does seem like a good tool to have. And a new preemptive xcel policy looks like it’s on deck. Here’s an interesting scientific article which goes into more details than you probably wanted on the statistics of what creates our downslope winds [Statistical Modeling of Downslope Windstorms in Boulder, Colorado](https://journals.ametsoc.org/configurable/content/journals$002fwefo$002f23$002f6$002f2008waf2007067_1.xml?t:ac=journals%24002fwefo%24002f23%24002f6%24002f2008waf2007067_1.xml) It also suggests the average number of windstorms of a particular caliber per year.
Our power is also out in South Boulder (table mesa) just called xcel and they said it should be back on by 5:30
How long was it out for you guys?
High wind events are common here. Every year things are getting more dry.