Steamboat Pilot & Today

Early Friday afternoon, 50 mph-plus wind gusts hit Steamboat Springs, wreaking havoc across town.

The Steamboat Springs Police Department reported several false burglar alarms sounding and a tree falling on a couple of cars downtown.

The gusts also knocked down power lines across the region, Yampa Valley Electric Association spokesman Jim Chappell said.

"We know we have power outages from Baggs, Wyo., to Bond," he said Friday afternoon. "The Craig office has everybody humanly possible out and working, and all of our crews in the Steamboat office are working to restore power."

Of the reports already pouring into the YVEA office at 3 p.m., sheet metal had blown into a power line at 11th Street and Lincoln Avenue, tree limbs had knocked out power lines near Eighth Street and Lincoln Avenue, and wires were down near Soda Creek Elementary School.

"We have wires down in the Stagecoach area and poles down toward Bond," Chappell said. "I've had better days."

At the Steamboat Ski Area, winds were measured at 59.5 mph. The gondola and all ski lifts were shut down.

"We are getting ready to open Elkhead to get people out of the Priest Creek area," spokesman Mike Lane said at 3 p.m. "There were 50 to 70 people down there, and we've been bringing them out on Snow Cats."

The ski area uses a storm scope at the top of the gondola to monitor incoming storms.

"This one came on us pretty fast," Lane said.

At about 3:30 p.m., the Christie lifts and South Face lift reopened. All other lifts remained closed until the end of the day.