NEDERLAND — A forecast for high winds in the Peak to Peak region prompted Boulder Valley School District to close Nederland Elementary, Nederland Middle-Senior High, Gold Hill School, and Jamestown Elementary last week. 

Around 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, BVSD sent out emails to parents announcing school closures for the following day, Thursday, March 12.

The district cited "high winds, elevated fire danger, and potential for power outages" as reasons for the closures. 

The message continues:

"The National Weather Service has issued a High Wind Warning starting tomorrow morning, and forecasts indicate wind gusts may be over 80 miles an hour at times," read the parent email.

All before and after-school activities were canceled. Bus routes in mountainous areas were canceled, as were routes to non-mountainous regions.

Chinook West (alternative high school) in Nederland announced its closure in a similar email. 

This is the second time this year that Chinook has had to close due to high winds and forgo the final day of its session. (Friday was reserved for parent-teacher conferences.)

The National Weather Service issued the warning from 4 a.m. Thursday to noon Friday for mountain and foothill areas above about 6,000 feet, including Gilpin, Clear Creek, and Summit Counties. 

West winds of 35 to 50 mph were expected, with gusts up to 90 mph possible. The strong winds could knock down trees and power lines, cause scattered power outages, and make travel difficult.

Xcel Power issued a statement on Tuesday, March 10, saying, "Due to the elevated risk of wildfire, Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS) are active across our Front Range service territory. 

"When EPSS is activated, power lines can stop the flow of energy if an issue is detected, like a tree branch or other object touching the line. EPSS does not mean the company has proactively turned off a customer’s power. If there is an outage while these settings are activated, it is the result of an issue on the power line."

The wind event also wreaked havoc on Nederland schools' annual ski day at Eldora Mountain Ski Resort. This fun event was intended for Friday, March 13, but has been postponed until Friday, March 27, 2026.

"Since the ski day is a special day for our students it is important that we do our best to make the day enjoyable and special for the students," said Principal Caleb Melamed.

"Additionally, for those students not skiing or riding at Eldora, the power is currently out at the Gilpin Rec Center and we do not have an ETA for the power to be restored," he stated in an email.

Just south of Nederland, Gilpin County is taking wind events seriously. The last windstorm, on December 19, 2025, knocked down countless trees, sparked electrical fires, and left many without power. 

By Saturday night, about 1,500 United Power customers were still without electricity.

United Power crews battled system-wide damage on Friday and made progress restoring power to a portion of affected members.

Fallen trees, broken limbs, and a significant number of broken poles and cross arms slowed restoration efforts.

United Power provided guidance on when to call 911: "Call 911 only for true emergencies, such as fires, immediate danger, or life-threatening situations. A tree in a secondary line, which is usually a single line from the pole to your home, is not an emergency if there is no fire or other immediate danger."

Otherwise, fallen trees and outages can be reported to United Power at 303-637-1350.

There will be a public meeting on Tuesday, March 24, from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Gilpin County Community Center for those interested in learning how to be prepared for future wind events.

Given this winter yielded very little precipitation, the fire risk is considered high, especially during wind events.

Xcel's website offers tools to prepare for a wildfire at co.my.xcelenergy.com/s/outage-safety/wildfires/power-shutoffs/event-update.