With wind gusts as high as 55 mph anticipated this weekend, Xcel Energy plans to shut off power in certain areas beginning at 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.

Xcel said the power shutoff will be limited, aimed at securing public safety and decreasing the risk of wildfire.

Still, some 55,000 customers may be affected, Xcel said.

Notably, the communities that may see a power shutoff are in Boulder County, as well as small sections of Gilpin, Jefferson, Larimer, Douglas and Broomfield counties. Communities in the West Denver metro area along the foothills will also be affected.

“De-energizing is a last resort measure to reduce the risk of a wildfire and ensure public safety,” the company said in a statement. “If a line is proactively de-energized, we will not turn the power back on until the high fire risk has passed, conditions are safe and crews have visually inspected the line.”

The company said power restoration times would depend on damages from the storm, adding that the extreme winds could impact the system, leading to an outage, which does not necessarily mean an area has been proactively de-energized.

Xcel said customers with medical equipment that relies on electric service should take steps to prepare for potential extended outages.

In addition, Xcel said it is changing the way powerlines that lose power directly because of weather conditions — such a tree falling on a line — get power back.

Previously, the equipment on the system will try to restore power automatically within a few seconds.

This time, Xcel said it will prevent the automatic restoration of power and, instead, crews will the patrol area first to ensure it is safe before restoring power.

Hence, means power outages will likely to last longer, Xcel said, adding crews will be on stand by to conduct patrols and restore power once it is safe.