A winter storm dropped as much as 14 inches of snow in areas of the central Kenai Peninsula, closing schools and causing some small power outages Tuesday.
Storm reports from the National Weather Service show the heaviest snowfall in Sterling, where reports of up to 14.5 inches of snow were recorded. In Kenai, around 9 inches fell, while both Nikiski and Soldotna saw 11.
Early Tuesday morning, plow trucks could already be seen at work in Soldotna, clearing driveways even as snow continued to fall.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District at 5 a.m. on Tuesday issued a two-hour delay for most of its schools, including those in Kenai, Nikiski, Soldotna and Homer.
Kenai Peninsula College’s Kenai River Campus and the Kenaitze Indian Tribe also closed their facilities due to the road conditions.
Just after 7 a.m., that delay was upgraded to a full closure of central peninsula schools, while those on the southern peninsula were able to resume session.
On Wednesday, road conditions were still causing delays for buses, according to the district’s Facebook page.
Homer Electric Association around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday said that a few hundred members were without power, though all service had been restored by 4 p.m.
More snowfall was forecast by the weather service for Thursday, before this weekend and early next week brings both rain and snow.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
