Heavy snowfall hit the Central Peninsula on Tuesday, following a weather advisory by the National Weather Service that warned of up to 5 inches of snow.
Instead, around 8-14 inches of snow hit the area, NWS Meteorologist Michael Kutz said. Snowfall was heaviest in Nikiski, lighter in Soldotna.
By 6 a.m., the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District had called for a two-hour delay start for all schools from “Tustumena to Sterling to Nikiski.” Kenai Peninsula College and the Kenaitze Indian Tribe also announced delayed openings for their buildings and facilities in the early hours. Just after 7 a.m., KPBSD shifted that delay to a full closure, and the other organizations followed suit.
Roads were icy — despite plow trucks being in operation early Wednesday morning. Tuesday night, several vehicles could be seen in ditches off the sides of Kalifornsky Beach Road and Bridge Access Road.
Kenai Police Sergeant Ryan Coleman said “roads are very slick, people should definitely slow down and stay home if they don’t need to be driving.”
Dil Uhlin, roads director for the Kenai Peninsula Borough Road Service Area, said the call was made to get plows running around 10 p.m. on Tuesday.
“I live out in Nikiski, I had about 7 inches on the ground at that time, and we made the call there to just start plowing.”
Uhlin said the contractors who handle plowing on the roads have up to four hours to get going, and the contract includes a “trigger point” of 4 inches, at which point they should already be getting their equipment ready.
“Our inspectors were on the road by 3:30, I’d say 95% of the contractors were already out moving.”
Each of the units and regions under the borough have contractors signed, Uhlin said, though he has heard that some have had trouble finding employees.
The contractors prioritize the high traffic roads, like Kalifornsky Beach Road or Bridge Access Road, then move to cover everything else in their unit.
Each unit contains, on average, 100 to 150 miles of road, Uhlin said. Time to clear it all was further delayed by the amount of snow, the weight of the snow and also because the roads aren’t frozen yet; the contractors had to be careful not to tear up gravel.
“We were only expecting 3 to 5 inches,” Uhlin said. “We didn’t have a ton of snow last night, but it was a heavier snow.”
The difference between the forecast and the number of flakes is because, originally, NWS expected things to warm up and shift towards rain in the night, Kutz said.
The snow isn’t going anywhere in the near future; Kutz said the forecast is mostly a mix of sun and clouds through the weekend and into next week. Temperatures should largely hold in the low to mid 20s, dropping around 10 to 15 at night.
“Only a slight chance of snow for Saturday night,” he said.
For more information about the Kenai Peninsula Borough Road Service Area, visit kpb.us/rds-service-area/about-rds or call 907-262-4427.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
A plow truck clears snow as it moves down the Kenai Spur Highway in Kenai on Wednesday. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
A plow truck clears snow as it moves down the Kenai Spur Highway in Kenai on Wednesday. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
A plow truck clears snow as it moves down the Kenai Spur Highway in Kenai on Wednesday. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
A plow truck clears snow as it moves down the Kenai Spur Highway in Kenai on Wednesday. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
A plow truck clears snow as it moves down the Kenai Spur Highway in Kenai on Wednesday. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
