The National Weather Service on Friday issued a rare warning for part of Colorado's Front Range as hurricane-force winds and tinder dry conditions boosted the threat of wildfire across several counties, while flood warnings were issued in Oregon as rivers there swelled from heavy rain.
It marked another day of severe weather in parts of the United States, with forecasters issuing warnings for everything from more winter weather bearing down on North Dakota to red flag warnings in Nebraska and Texas and flood warnings from Washington south into California.
Most notable was the “particularly dangerous situation” fire weather warning issued in Colorado on Friday morning, a first for this western state. PSD warnings are reserved for the most severe scenarios, and in this case it was fueled by forecasters' concerns that extreme combinations of strong winds, super low humidity and critically dry fuels could lead to life-threatening fire danger.
“We don't really want people to panic because that doesn't help anything, but we want people to be prepared,” said Jennifer Stark, the meteorologist in charge of the weather service office in Boulder. She noted that it is the peak windy season for the area.
Tens of thousands of customers were without power Friday as Xcel Energy carried out another public safety power shutoff to prevent further fire risks. Some residents already had been without power, heat or hot water for more than 24 hours.
The utility warned that unplanned outages resulting from wind damage were expected to significantly exceed the number of customers affected by the preventative shutoffs.
In Nederland, a town in the Rocky Mountain foothills 40 miles (64.37 kilometers) northwest of Denver, Matt Arlen helped stock shelves in a grocery store that was without power — and closed to customers — since 6 a.m. on Friday, one day after a burst of “panic shopping” in response to extreme weather.
Violent winds pried away loose exterior parts from buildings in town and blew a sign from a local gem and fossil shop into Arlen’s front yard.
“We’re used to kind of high winds,” he said. “It’s more the power outage affecting people up here that don’t have fire places” for heat at home.
Still, the combination of winds and dry weather were on Arlen’s mind in a region that can be prone to wildfire. The 2021 Marshall Fire destroyed more than 1,000 homes in the nearby suburbs of Boulder.
“The only thing is, we haven’t had a lot of snow,” said the pricing coordinator at B&F Mountain Market.
In Boulder County, emergency management officials were urging people to be prepared in case a fire were to be sparked. Forecasters predicted gusts between 80 and 100 mph (128 and 160 kph).
“I'm not trying to scare everybody, but this is serious. We want to make sure people take it serious,” county spokesperson Vinnie Montez warned in a social media post.
Colorado transportation officials closed highways due to the conditions. The high winds also closed stretches of interstates in southeastern Wyoming to high-profile vehicles.
Meanwhile in northwestern Oregon, National Weather Service forecasters said they expected widespread river flooding to continue following heavy rains.
Clackamas County, which spans some Portland suburbs and part of Mount Hood and the Cascade Range, sent evacuation notices to 300 residences, said county spokesperson Scott Anderson. Some of the most significant flooding occurred on the Sandy, Clackamas and Molalla rivers, with authorities performing rescues throughout the night, he said.
An emergency shelter was opened at Clackamas Community College. Roads also were closed across the region, including part of a highway that leads to Mount Hood.
In northern California, forecasters were expecting a Pineapple Express, a stronger atmospheric river that originates in the tropics near Hawaii, to arrive around Christmas Even. That forecast brought hope to ski resort operators that much anticipated precipitation will extend into the Sierra Nevada, where very little snow has fallen this season.
Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, and Morgan Lee in Santa Fe, New Mexico, contributed to this report.
A couch that was blown off the balcony of a high-rise condominium building sits crumpled after falling to the street as hurricane-force winds whipped through the area Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Xcel Energy workers toil to repair power lines on a street closed after hurricane-force winds whipped through the metropolitan area and interrupted service to residents Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Xcel Energy workers work to repair power lines on a street closed after hurricane-force winds whipped through the metropolitan area and interrupted service to residents, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose in afternoon trading on Wall Street Friday and pushed several major indexes toward weekly gains.
The S&P 500 jumped 0.9%, adding to gains made on Thursday. The index is now on track for a weekly gain.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 256 points, or 0.5%, as of 2:59 p.m. Eastern. The Nasdaq jumped 1.2% and is now also on track for a weekly gain.
Technology stocks with a focus on artificial intelligence once again led the market. Nvidia jumped 3.5% and Broadcom rose 1.9%.
The sector has been the driving force for Wall Street throughout the year as companies with outsized values like Nvidia exert more pressure on markets. Those pricey stock values have come under more scrutiny from investors wondering whether they are justifiable.
Oracle rose 7.3% on news that it, along with two other investors, had signed agreements to form a new TikTok U.S. joint ventur e. Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX each get a 15% share in the popular social video platform, ensuring that it can continue operating in the U.S.
Company earnings and how companies are performing amid tariffs and inflation were a key focus for Wall Street.
Nike slumped 10.6%, as the impact from tariffs overshadowed an otherwise strong quarterly profit report. Frozen potato maker Lamb Weston fell 25%, despite also beating Wall Street's profit and revenue forecasts.
Winnebago Industries jumped 8.4% after turning in profits and revenue for its latest quarter that easily beat analysts’ estimates.
Homebuilders dropped following a report showing that home sales slowed from a year earlier for the first time since May. Lennar lost 1% and KB Home fell 8.3%.
A survey from the University of Michigan showed that consumer sentiment in December improved slightly from November, but is deeply diminished from a year ago.
“Despite some signs of improvement to close out the year, sentiment remains nearly 30% below December 2024, as pocketbook issues continue to dominate consumer views of the economy,” wrote Surveys of Consumers Director, Joanne Hsu.
Consumer confidence has been weakening throughout the year as persistent inflation squeezes consumers. The job market is also slowing while retail sales weaken. Business and consumers are also worrying about the continued impact of a wide-ranging U.S.-led trade war that has targeted key partners including China and Canada.
The latest inflation update on Thursday revealed a surprise cooling of prices in November. The Labor Department reported that its consumer price index rose 2.7%. But economists quickly warned that those numbers were suspect because they’d been delayed and likely distorted by the 43-day federal shutdown.
“The wave of economic data did little to provide clarity for investors this week, keeping the market in the trading range it has been in since September,” said. Mark Hackett, chief market strategist at Nationwide, in a note to investors.
Inflation is still above the Federal Reserve's 2% target. The central bank cut its benchmark interest rate at its most recent meeting. It has been concerned about the slowing job market hurting the economy. But cutting interest rates could add more fuel to inflation, which could also stunt economic growth.
The Fed has maintained a cautious stance about interest rate policy heading into 2026 and Wall Street is mostly betting that it will hold steady on rates at its next meeting in January.
Treasury yields rose in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.15% from 4.11% late Thursday.
Japanese stocks rose after the Bank of Japan raised its benchmark interest rate to its highest level in 30 years. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 gained 1%, leading the rise across Asia's key markets. Markets in Europe also gained ground.
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AP Business Writer Matt Ott contributed.
Specialist Glenn Carell, left, and trader Robert Charmak work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Trader Jonathan Mueller works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Medline Industries signage is displayed outside the Nasdaq MarketSite, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Trader Vincent Vincent Napolitano, surrounded by holiday decorations, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Specialists Alex Weitzman, left, and Meric Greenbaum work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
People walk in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
People stand in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing the market indexes of Shanghai, Tokyo and New York Dow at a securities firm Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A person walks in front of a chart showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
