Careful what you wish for

After waiting through a lengthy winter dry spell, the Kenai Peninsula was hit with wet, heavy snow over the weekend and the hazards that come with it.

Parts of the peninsula, including Kenai, Soldotna, Homer and Cooper Landing, were under a winter weather advisory until 6 p.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

Alaska State Troopers and Central Emergency services were called out to mile 98 of the Sterling Highway near Soldotna around noon on Sunday when a single vehicle slid into the ditch, according to an online trooper dispatch.

The driver, 49-year-old Sheri Vickaryous, stuck a telephone pole after going into the ditch while driving southbound, troopers wrote in the dispatch. The vehicle sustained major damage and had to be towed away.

Vickaryous and her passenger were taken by CES personnel to Central Peninsula Hospital for non-life threatening injuries, said CES Captain Reed Quinton.

Employees of Homer Electric Association also stayed busy while the flakes fell. HEA spent the day dealing with several power outages.

Sunday morning and into the afternoon, workers responded to two outages in Anchor Point that left about 115 members without power, according to several HEA releases. As of 3:45 p.m. Sunday, HEA was responding to outages in Homer affecting about 31 members — one on Skyline Drive and one on Bayview Avenue — as well as to 232 members without power on Mackey Lake Road in Soldotna and an unidentified number of members in the Ninilchik Village area, according to the releases.

Director of Member Relations Joe Gallagher wrote in the releases that residents ought to stay away from downed power lines.

“The outages are the result of heavy snow that has fallen in the area today,” Gallagher wrote in one of the releases.

Reach Megan Pacer at megan.pacer@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

Jason Criss stands for a photo in Soldotna, Alaska, after being named a qualifier for the Special Olympics USA Games on Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna athlete to compete in 2026 Special Olympics USA Games

Thousands of athletes from across all 50 states will be competing in 16 sports.

The entrance to the Homer Electric Association office is seen here in Kenai, Alaska on May 7, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
HEA opens bids for real property

The deadline to submit bids is 5 p.m. on Aug. 11.

Arturo Mondragon-Lopez, Jr. (right) attends a change of plea hearing related to the October 2023 fatal shooting of Brianna Hetrick on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, at the Homer Courthouse in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Mondragon-Lopez sentenced for death of Homer woman

Arturo Mondragon-Lopez, Jr. accepted a plea deal in February for the shooting of Brianna Hetrick.

Soldotna City Hall is seen on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna OKs $395,000 capital plan

This year’s list of capital projects is “nominal compared to some past years,” according to officials.

A map of areas proposed for annexation by the City of Soldotna. (Provided by City of Soldotna)
Soldotna adds annexation proposal to ballot

The proposed annexation is split across five small areas around the city.

Nets are extended from North Kenai Beach in Kenai, Alaska, during the first day of the Kenai River personal use dipnet fishery on Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
‘A really good day’

Kenai River personal use sockeye salmon dipnet fishery opens.

The entrance to the Kenai Peninsula Borough building in Soldotna is seen here on June 1. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)
Borough assembly to consider ordinance to increase residential property tax exemption

If approved by voters in October, the ordinance would increase the tax exemption by $25,000.

Vice President Kelly Cooper speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly in Soldotna, Alaska, on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Borough considers seasonal sales tax rate

Borough sales tax would be modified from a flat 3% to a seasonal model of 4% in summer months and 2% in winter months.

Most Read