Town of Lyons Electric Utility Prepared for High Winds; 
No Planned Power Shutoff 

Friday, December 19

The Town of Lyons’ municipally owned electric utility is prepared for the high winds on Friday, December 19. At this time, no proactive power shutoff is planned for Lyons Electric customers.

Town staff and electric crews continue to closely monitor weather conditions and coordinate with regional partners to ensure the safety and reliability of electric service throughout the community. According to the National Weather Service, strong and damaging winds 45–50 mph, with gusts up to 85 mph will continue across Boulder County and the foothills surrounding Lyons again, combined with dry conditions. Town parks are closed throughout the duration of the wind event due to several downed trees.

Extreme wildfire risk 

There is extreme wildfire risk due to the strong winds, low humidity and warm temperatures. Do not burn outdoors or do anything that may produce a spark and start a fast moving wildfire. 

Sign up for Emergency Notifications and Alerts

We encourage residents to sign up for email updates from the Town of Lyons.
https://www.townoflyons.com/289/Stay-Informed  BOCO Alerts are emergency alerts that share information about current emergencies or disasters and the actions you should take to keep yourself safe. To register to receive alerts visit www.BOCOAlert.org and create an account.

Important Information for Lyons Residents

Electric service within the Town of Lyons is provided by locally owned municipal power, not Xcel Energy. Any potential shutoffs from Xcel Energy would not affect customers served by the Town of Lyons Electric Utility. There are two other electric utilities with power lines running through various parts of Town that are not part of Lyons Electric and not under our authority to control. Customers of Longmont Power or PVREA should follow their updates.

That said, Town staff and the Utilities Department are actively monitoring conditions and may take operational precautions if necessary, during this extreme wind event, particularly given ongoing drought conditions and limited snow cover. Town staff is aware of downed trees throughout town. 

Be Prepared for Any Power Outage
While no outage is currently anticipated for Lyons, this is a good opportunity to remind residents to be prepared in the event of a power disruption. Power outages can occur at any time, for all kinds of reasons.  A few of the most important things to consider include:

Build a Home Emergency Kit
Residents are encouraged to keep phones and essential devices charged and to assemble an outage kit in advance with items that do not require electricity, such as:     

• Flashlights   
• Batteries   
• Battery-powered radio
• Backup phone chargers   
• Non-electric alarm clock   
• Bottled water and non-perishable food   
• Manual can opener   
• First aid kit   
• Extension cords (for partial outages)
• It’s always a good idea to have 5 gallons of water available for household use in the event of an emergency
• Knowing how to manually open garage doors if needed  
• Ensure personal medical devices are fully charged and that a backup power source is available for electrically powered medical equipment. Keep an emergency supply of all prescription and non-prescription medications, including planning for those that need refrigeration (e.g., insulin).
• When conditions may lead to outages, set your refrigerator and freezer to the coldest setting. This helps keep food cold for up to four hours in the fridge and up to 48 hours in the freezer. 
  
  Boulder County Public Information officials also recommend having a basic “go bag” ready with essentials such as a flashlight, water, food, medications and emergency contact information. If anyone in your household relies on medical equipment that requires power, it’s especially important to have a plan in place, including alternative charging options or a temporary location where power is available.

Residents who receive power from Xcel Energy, Longmont Power or PVREA elsewhere in the region should monitor updates directly from each of them, including outage maps and PSPS notifications, as restoration may take several hours or longer following a shutoff.

The Town will share updates if conditions change or additional action is needed.