Weather

A plow truck clears snow as it moves down the Kenai Spur Highway in Kenai, Alaska on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion) A plow truck clears snow as it moves down the Kenai Spur Highway in Kenai, Alaska on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

More snow forecast for central peninsula

The snow was expected to start Tuesday night

A plow truck clears snow as it moves down the Kenai Spur Highway in Kenai, Alaska on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion) A plow truck clears snow as it moves down the Kenai Spur Highway in Kenai, Alaska on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Snow is cleared from the parking lot at Kenai Cinema in Kenai, Alaska on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

Winter storm brings heavier, more snow than expected

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… Continue reading

Snow is cleared from the parking lot at Kenai Cinema in Kenai, Alaska on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
A special weather statement for the western Kenai Peninsula has been issued by the National Weather Service. (Screenshot weather.gov)

Weather service warns of wintry mix

The wintry mix and freezing drizzle is expected to hit from midnight through 7-8 a.m on Saturday

A special weather statement for the western Kenai Peninsula has been issued by the National Weather Service. (Screenshot weather.gov)
National Weather Service radar for the Kenai Peninsula and Southcentral Alaska on Aug. 17, 2022. (Screenshot)

Rain, rain and more rain

Low pressure systems drive wet conditions in Southcentral

National Weather Service radar for the Kenai Peninsula and Southcentral Alaska on Aug. 17, 2022. (Screenshot)
Freezing rain creates icy conditions on Wednesday, Feb. 16. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna asks for more snow removal money

The City of Soldotna estimates it will spend more than expected on snow removal services this winter. Citing above average snowfall, the city’s streets and… Continue reading

Freezing rain creates icy conditions on Wednesday, Feb. 16. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)
Alaska's 511 app shows travel on central peninsula roads to be "difficult" as of 6:50 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 21, 2022. (Screenshot)

More snow forecast for peninsula

A winter weather advisory was issued through Tuesday morning

Alaska's 511 app shows travel on central peninsula roads to be "difficult" as of 6:50 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 21, 2022. (Screenshot)
Alaska road maintenance crews conduct avalanche clearing work along the Seward Highway on Friday, Feb. 18, 2022 near Girdwood, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities)

Wintry weather causes avalanches around Southcentral

At least two avalanches, as well as excessive snow, caused road closures Friday

Alaska road maintenance crews conduct avalanche clearing work along the Seward Highway on Friday, Feb. 18, 2022 near Girdwood, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities)
Snow and debris from an avalanche can be seen near Mile 45 on the Seward Highway on Monday, March 29, 2021. An avalanche shut down traffic on both sides Monday afternoon. (Photo courtesy Goldie Shealy)

More snow, traffic delays expected for Southcentral

Motorists traveling on some sections of the Seward Highway should expect intermittent traffic delays of up to 45 minutes Wednesday, as state maintenance crews conduct… Continue reading

Snow and debris from an avalanche can be seen near Mile 45 on the Seward Highway on Monday, March 29, 2021. An avalanche shut down traffic on both sides Monday afternoon. (Photo courtesy Goldie Shealy)
A Ravn Airlines plane arrives in Anchorage to transport passengers to Kenai after more than two hours of delay on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022. Windy conditions delayed flights to and from the peninsula over the weekend. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)”

Severe winds hammer Southcentral

The winds caused flight cancellations, power outages and local road closures

A Ravn Airlines plane arrives in Anchorage to transport passengers to Kenai after more than two hours of delay on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022. Windy conditions delayed flights to and from the peninsula over the weekend. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)”
A map shows the location of difficult road conditions on the central peninsula, as of 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. (Screenshot from Alaska 511)

Winter weather advisory issued due to ice

The advisory is in effect until 9 p.m.

A map shows the location of difficult road conditions on the central peninsula, as of 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. (Screenshot from Alaska 511)

Shortest day behind us, peninsula gaining light

The central peninsula received less than six hours of daylight during the winter solstice on Tuesday, which officially marked the end of fall. While the… Continue reading

Winter weather advisory issued for southern Kenai peninsula

Winter weather advisory issued for southern Kenai peninsula

The advisory is in effect until 6 a.m. on Saturday

Winter weather advisory issued for southern Kenai peninsula
Even snowmen need umbrellas to survive on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

2019 will be Alaska’s warmest year on record, and it looks like that’s going to continue

“Temperatures have nowhere to go but up.”

Even snowmen need umbrellas to survive on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
This map shows the varying levels of drought in Southeast Alaska, as of the week of June 6, 2019.The red portion of the map indicates extreme drought, dark orange indicates severe drought, light orange indicates moderate drought and yellow indicates abnormally dry conditions. (Courtesy Photo | U.S. Drought Monitor)

Southeast experiencing rare drought

The entirety of Southeast Alaska is in some state of drought.

This map shows the varying levels of drought in Southeast Alaska, as of the week of June 6, 2019.The red portion of the map indicates extreme drought, dark orange indicates severe drought, light orange indicates moderate drought and yellow indicates abnormally dry conditions. (Courtesy Photo | U.S. Drought Monitor)
Kailey Mucha, left, and April Kaufman search for a beacon in the snow outside of the Kenai Wildlife Refuge Visitor’s Center during an avalanche training class on Saturday, Jan. 5 in Soldotna, Alaska. Mucha said she was interested in the course after spending some time snowmachining. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Avalanche course treks on despite warm weather

Despite unusually warm weather, Avalanche Observer Alex Mclain wants the community to be prepared. Mclain, who works with the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center,… Continue reading

Kailey Mucha, left, and April Kaufman search for a beacon in the snow outside of the Kenai Wildlife Refuge Visitor’s Center during an avalanche training class on Saturday, Jan. 5 in Soldotna, Alaska. Mucha said she was interested in the course after spending some time snowmachining. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Winter warmup

Cars carefully make their way through the slushy snow around the bend in the Kenai Spur Highway near Christmas light-filled Leif Hansen Park on Sunday in Kenai. After a chilly fall and several thick blankets of snow, temperatures rose sharply on the western Kenai Peninsula, climbing above freezing Sunday and converting the falling snow to rain. Small lakes formed from the snow on the Kenai flats and the ice built up along the shores of the lower Kenai River moved out. The National Weather Service issued a special weather statement Sunday, forecasting the warm weather to continue throughout the day Monday as a developing storm system brings “unsettled weather” to Southcentral Alaska. Strong wints are expected on the western Kenai Peninsula, with the strongest of the winds arriving in the Turnagain Pass area and in the Portage Valley, clocking in at up to 70 miles per hour Sunday night, according to the National Weather Service. Rain is expected in Seward and along the gulf coast, with temperatures remaining in the mid- to high 30s throughout the week. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)… Continue reading

Mist rises over the broken ice on the bank of the Kenai River just downstream of the Warren Ames Bridge on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. The Kenai River downstream of the bridge was completely frozen Sunday morning. The weekend brought deep freezing temperatures to the central Kenai Peninsula, plunging to -4 degrees Fahrenheit Sunday morning with a high of 17 degrees during the day. The National Weather Service forecasts temperatures to increase tomorrow and continue in the upper 20s and low 30s through the week, with increased chances of snow through Thursday. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Icy sunrise

Mist rises over the broken ice on the bank of the Kenai River just downstream of the Warren Ames Bridge on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017… Continue reading

Mist rises over the broken ice on the bank of the Kenai River just downstream of the Warren Ames Bridge on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017 in Kenai, Alaska. The Kenai River downstream of the bridge was completely frozen Sunday morning. The weekend brought deep freezing temperatures to the central Kenai Peninsula, plunging to -4 degrees Fahrenheit Sunday morning with a high of 17 degrees during the day. The National Weather Service forecasts temperatures to increase tomorrow and continue in the upper 20s and low 30s through the week, with increased chances of snow through Thursday. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Several inches of snow blanket the bluff along the Kenai River on Sunday afternoon during a slow snow fall that covered the Soldotna and Kenai area. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)

Blanketed bluff

Blanketed bluff Several inches of snow blanket the bluff along the Kenai River on Sunday afternoon during a slow snow fall that covered the Soldotna… Continue reading

Several inches of snow blanket the bluff along the Kenai River on Sunday afternoon during a slow snow fall that covered the Soldotna and Kenai area. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
A car crosses the David E. Douthit Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Kenai River through dense fog on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. A heavy fog rolled over the western Kenai Peninsula Tuesday evening, resulting in cancelled flights in and out of the Kenai Municipal Airport and ensconcing Halloween trick-or-treaters in an eerie mist colored orange or white by the streetlamps. By morning, the fog had thinned and the temperature dropped to the high 20s, with some fog predicted to continue in the morning and evening through Wednesday and Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Fogged in

A car crosses the David E. Douthit Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Kenai River through dense fog on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska.… Continue reading

A car crosses the David E. Douthit Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Kenai River through dense fog on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017 in Soldotna, Alaska. A heavy fog rolled over the western Kenai Peninsula Tuesday evening, resulting in cancelled flights in and out of the Kenai Municipal Airport and ensconcing Halloween trick-or-treaters in an eerie mist colored orange or white by the streetlamps. By morning, the fog had thinned and the temperature dropped to the high 20s, with some fog predicted to continue in the morning and evening through Wednesday and Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Bird bath Crows bathe in rainwater puddling in the gutter alongside Trading Bay Road on Wednesday in Kenai. Tuesday morning brought a little wet snow accumulation to the central Kenai Peninsula, but by midafternoon, temperatures had warmed and taken the snow with them, turning the precipitation to rain. The rain continued throughout Wednesday with temperatures hanging around 40. The National Weather Service is forecasting the rain to continue through Friday morning with highs staying around the mid- to upper 40s. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Birdbath

Crows bathe in rainwater pudding in the gutter alongside Trading Bay Road on Wednesday in Kenai. Tuesday morning brought a little wet snow accumulation to… Continue reading

Bird bath Crows bathe in rainwater puddling in the gutter alongside Trading Bay Road on Wednesday in Kenai. Tuesday morning brought a little wet snow accumulation to the central Kenai Peninsula, but by midafternoon, temperatures had warmed and taken the snow with them, turning the precipitation to rain. The rain continued throughout Wednesday with temperatures hanging around 40. The National Weather Service is forecasting the rain to continue through Friday morning with highs staying around the mid- to upper 40s. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)