Wind gusts block northern Colorado roadways, knock out power to rural customers

Wind gusts from Monday night and Tuesday morning resulted in many rural residents in northern Colorado counties losing power, while others had their driveways and nearby highways blocked by downed trees.

Estes Park resident Leslie Kelley works in Allenstown, just south of Estes Park. She said she noticed there were many trees still blocking Highway 7 during her commute to work.

"I counted 52 trees. I didn't count the dead ones. These were full-grown beautiful healthy trees," she said.

The wind gusts were so strong overnight, Kelley said, that the windows in her home were rattling throughout the night so she wasn't shocked to see such strong winds also knocked down trees.

"The trees have huge root systems, but they're very shallow," Kelley said.

Kelley, who has lived in Estes Park for more than 15 years, said she knows some locals have decided to move away from the area over the years due to the frequency of strong winds.

However, after experiencing the threats of major fires like the Cameron Peak Fire in 2020, Kelley said she was grateful that it was snowing on Monday night and Tuesday morning.

"Wind with precipitation is okay. It's much more frightening -- really frightening -- when there is wind and heat. And that's what we're not looking forward to," Kelley said.