23 Dec
A series of extreme wind events hit parts of CORE’s service area beginning Wednesday, Dec. 17, causing significant, extended outages. This webpage will be updated multiple times daily with the most timely, thorough information regarding CORE’s ongoing response.
12 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 23
We expect to have all affected members back on Tuesday afternoon. Estimated times of restoration (ETRs) have been turned back on in our outage management system.
Please report any service interruptions via our online Outage Center or (833) 267-3349.
10 p.m. Monday, Dec. 22
Crews made more progress today, with just under 70 members without power as of 10 p.m. Many of these outages are isolated and crews will continue to make repairs into Tuesday.
Thank you again for our members’ understanding as crews work to restore the remaining outages from this storm.
12 p.m. Monday, Dec. 22
Work continues today to restore service to the several hundred CORE members who are still off. Most are in Bergen Park, on lines that were the most damaged by extreme winds. Other crews continue to work single and smaller outages in Jefferson and Park counties, and address the hundreds of damage reports we received over the last few days.
We are utilizing drones for visual inspections in areas that are hardest to access by foot, and Engineering staff are assisting our Operations personnel in the identification and assessment of issues with our lines, poles and equipment in other affected areas.
We anticipate we will have all but a few members back on by 9 p.m. Monday. Estimated times of restoration are available again and updated for some locations, but not all, as the extent of damage to parts of our system makes it incredibly difficult to establish restoration timelines.
Much of our service area is under Red Flag Warnings through Monday evening, so we have engaged alternate relay settings across the system to mitigate the risk of wildfire. These settings might create sustained outages instead of blinks during faults such as trees on lines.
Please report any further service interruptions via our online Outage Center or (833) 267-3349.
9:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21
Crews made significant progress Sunday and put more than 2,500 members back on over the course of the day.
As of Sunday evening, we have about 500 members still without service — most of whom are in pockets of the Bergen Park area. Many of those 500 members will be off until Monday, as our crews are now working the most difficult damage points, which require more time and resources. We will utilize drones again Monday to help us more quickly identify and address additional damage points.
Please report any further service interruptions via our online Outage Center or (833) 267-3349.
We greatly appreciate the incredible patience of those members who have endured especially long outages, as well as the support many members have voiced for our tireless crews and other personnel.
4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21
Service has been restored for more than 1,000 members since Sunday morning.
We have just under 2,000 members without power as of 4 p.m. About 900 of those members are in the Bergen Park area, which was hit especially hard by extreme winds. A large number of CORE crews and contractors continue to identify, assess and repair the extensive damage to the lines and poles that serve that area.
Additional crews continue to clear trees from lines, replace poles and repair lines to restore service to members in Clear Creek, Jefferson and Park counties. We will continue to update estimated times of restoration on our outage map where possible.
Please report any further service interruptions via our online Outage Center or (833) 267-3349.
Thank you for your continued patience and understanding.
10 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 21
As of Sunday morning, we have under 3,000 members still without power in Clear Creek, Jefferson and Park counties.
Our crews and other operations personnel will continue to follow their plan to systematically address the highest-priority outages, which include Floyd Hill and Bergen Park. We expect to have many of the 3,000-plus affected members back on by Sunday evening. If conditions remain safe, crews will work through the night to restore service to as many of those locations as possible, and continue into Monday to complete restorations. Estimated times of restoration (ETRs) will update on our outage map as crews assess damage and plan repairs.
All alternate relay settings have been disengaged as of Sunday morning.
Please report any further service interruptions via our online Outage Center or (833) 267-3349.
We appreciate members’ continued understanding as crews work in difficult terrain and conditions to fix hundreds of damage points and restore service for all members.
6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20
Crews and contractors continue to make progress, but extensive damage remains in hard-to-reach areas with challenging terrain. Drones have helped speed up assessments and many pockets of severe damage have been identified. All transmission lines from Xcel Energy are now available, which means all members will be re-energized as soon as repairs are made.
Estimated restoration times are being updated for areas where we have confidence, and crews will continue to work into the night. However, some outages will extend into Sunday.
We understand how difficult extended outages can be and truly appreciate your patience as we work to restore service as quickly and safely as possible.
2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20
Crews and contractors have restored service to several thousand members as of 2 p.m. Saturday. We will continue our forward progress and anticipate many more members restored by late tonight. However, restoration for some may continue into Sunday due to severe damage in certain areas. Crews, contractors and support teams will keep working to address the large amount of broken poles and trees in our lines.
Please continue to report any downed lines, broken poles or other damaged equipment via dops@core.coop or (800) 332-9540. Assume all lines and equipment are energized, even if service is out in your area, and do not approach any.
9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 20
CORE crews, contractors and support staff are dispersed throughout the outage area, making repairs as quickly and safely as possible. More favorable weather today will help restoration efforts, but strong winds are still expected, and many trees have been weakened during the storms.
CORE crews and additional personnel should make significant progress today, though the return of service for most members will likely not happen until later in the day. Some members will likely be without service until Sunday, as our crews continue to remove trees from our lines and fix the many broken poles.
Alternate relay settings have been disengaged in our Bennett, Sedalia and Woodland Park operating districts, but will remain engaged in our Pine Junction operating district due to ongoing fire risk.
For your safety, assume all lines and equipment are energized — even if service is out in your area — and please do not approach them. Report any downed lines, broken poles, or other damaged equipment via dops@core.coop or (800) 332‑9540.
Note: Despite some reports to the contrary, CORE has not initiated any Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events, nor do we have any planned. Some CORE members remain affected by a PSPS initiated Friday by Xcel Energy, whose transmission line serves some CORE members in and around Conifer and Evergreen. More information about Xcel’s PSPS can be found on our PSPS Events page.
Thank you again for your patience and understanding while our teams work to safely restore service throughout the weekend. We will continue to provide updates as additional information becomes available.
9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19
Continued extreme winds throughout Friday slowed progress by our crews, but they were able to keep up with the additional significant outages it created.
CORE crews and additional contractor personnel should make significant progress Saturday, though the return of service for most members will likely not happen until later in the day.
Some members will likely be without service until Sunday, as our crews continue to remove trees from our lines and fix the many broken poles.
Please report any downed lines, broken poles or other damaged equipment via dops@core.coop or (800) 332-9540. Assume all lines and equipment are energized, even if service is out in your area, and do not approach any.
Thank you again to all our members who have been patient and understanding through extended outages.
9:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 19
High winds arrived earlier than expected overnight Thursday and created outages for several thousand more members in Clear Creek, Jefferson and Park counties. CORE crews and contractors continue to prioritize work to restore service to as many people as possible and as quickly as possible.
Extreme winds are forecast to continue Friday which will likely create additional significant outages in the already affected parts of our service area. They also will likely create unsafe conditions that hinder our efforts to restore service. Members who lose service or who are already without service should plan for outages to extend through the weekend. We encourage those who cannot be without power to plan for or seek alternative accommodations, or consider one of the community resources listed below.
We have also engaged alternate relay settings throughout our system to help prevent wildfire risk. Members may experience broader outages instead of brief blinks while those settings remain engaged. We do not have any Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events planned, but some CORE members are currently affected by a PSPS initiated by Xcel Energy, whose transmission line serves some CORE members in and around Conifer and Evergreen. More information about Xcel’s PSPS can be found on our PSPS Events page.
We appreciate members’ continued patience through this extreme weather event, and will continue to provide updates as additional information becomes available.
Emergency resource centers for Coloradans who lose power:
- Evergreen Fire Station, 1802 Bergen Pkwy, Evergreen; open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Gilpin County School, 10595 Highway 119, Black Hawk; open until further notice
- Wellspring Catholic Academy, 1100 Upham St., Lakewood; open from 3 p.m. until further notice
- Health and Wellness Center, 1969 Miner St., Idaho Springs; open Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Red Cross, (800) 733-2767; 24 hours a day
9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18
Crews made significant progress Thursday evening and have all but about 2,200 members on, mostly in Clear Creek, Jefferson and Park counties. They will continue to work for several hours, but some members will remain without service through the night. Crews will resume work at first light Friday, when conditions become safe again.
Extreme winds are forecast to return to the Front Range Friday, which has prompted Xcel Energy, whose transmission line serves some CORE members, to plan a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) that will interrupt electric service for some CORE members in Clear Creek, Jefferson and Park counties. Affected members have been contacted via email, automated phone call and/or text alert. Visit our PSPS Events page for more information.
Note: CORE does not plan any related PSPS events. Xcel’s planned PSPS affects some CORE members because transmission lines that serve them are located in Xcel’s planned PSPS area.
4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18
Crews have restored power to several thousand members this afternoon. Estimated Times of Restoration (ETRs) will resume shortly in areas where crews are making steady progress.
In regions with rough terrain, restoration is taking longer. ETRs for those areas will remain unavailable with no updates via text, and we anticipate outages continuing into tomorrow and the weekend.
Please note:
- Extreme winds are expected again beginning Friday morning through Friday evening, potentially worse than Wednesday’s storm.
- Members in the Bergen Park area may experience a planned Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) by Xcel Energy due to an Xcel transmission line. Impacted members will be contacted directly.
- CORE does not have any PSPS planned for Friday, Dec. 19. As a precaution, alternate relay settings will be implemented for safety.
We understand that prolonged outages and limited restoration updates are very challenging. Please know our crews are working diligently to assess for estimated restoration across broad areas and to restore service as quickly and safely as possible during this major event. Thank you for your patience.
11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 18
Our crews and contractors have restored service for several thousand members within the past few hours. These crews and contractors, as well as support staff, are spread across multiple counties and will continue to assess damage and make repairs to get affected members back on. We also have deployed drones to patrol power lines, which helps us more quickly identify issues and begin restoration work.
Estimated times of restoration are not currently available, as each outage is unique in location, type of damage and materials needed. Crews also need to fully assess damage and patrol for fire risk before we can share accurate timelines. They expect to make significant progress into Thursday afternoon. We will continue to provide updates as we learn more.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as our crews work as quickly and safely as possible to restore power.
Find answers to common outage questions at https://core.coop/outage-center/electrical-outage-faqs/.
8 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 18
As of 8 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 18, many members in Clear Creek, Jefferson, Park and Teller counties are currently without service. Due to widespread damage from hurricane-force winds Wednesday, estimated times of restoration (ETRs) are temporarily disabled. CORE crews and multiple contractor teams continue to repair broken poles, downed power lines and equipment damage — some in areas that are difficult to access.
⚠️ Wind conditions are expected to ease slightly today, but high winds are forecast to return Friday, which may further hinder restoration efforts.
⚠️ With these extreme conditions, outages could take days to restore for some members. We encourage all affected members to plan accordingly and review preparedness tips at www.ready.gov/power-outages.
⚠️ Please use our online Outage Center to report and monitor outages, and call 911 for emergency situations.
We understand how disruptive prolonged outages are and appreciate your patience. Crews will work as quickly and safely as possible to restore service, and we will continue to provide updates as we receive them.
The following community resources are available for members in outage-affected areas:
- Jefferson County and the American Red Cross Resource Center will offer access to phone charging for those who need it 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at Belmar Library, 555 S. Allison Parkway, Lakewood. For emergencies in Jefferson County, please call 911. All other calls can be directed to the non-emergency line at (303) 980-7300.
- In Park County, call 911 for emergencies and (719) 836-4121, Option 5, for non-emergencies.
- Red Cross Shelter, open 24/7 at Gilpin County School, 10595 Highway 119, Black Hawk.
- Red Cross, (800) 733-2767, available 24/7
Wednesday, Dec. 17
CORE continues to closely monitor extreme wind events along the Front Range Wednesday, Dec. 17, but does not plan any Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events. Our risk criteria have determined no PSPS events are necessary in our service area.
As a safety precaution, however, we have implemented alternate relay settings in many areas. These settings help prevent wildfire risk by de-energizing lines when a fault — such as a branch or tree contacting the line — is detected. The line will remain off until crews confirm the fault no longer poses a fire risk.
Because these settings shut off the line from the substation, members in areas under alternate relay settings may experience broader outages instead of brief blinks during this time.
We encourage all members to be prepared for outages during high wind weather events, especially those with medical needs. Please:
- Keep an outage kit ready.
- Operate generators safely.
- Make alternative arrangements if you cannot go without power for an extended period of time.
For real-time outage updates, visit our online Outage Center.