An ice jam in the Kenai River can be seen here from the Soldotna Bridge in this January 2020 photo. (Courtesy Dan Nelson/Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management)

An ice jam in the Kenai River can be seen here from the Soldotna Bridge in this January 2020 photo. (Courtesy Dan Nelson/Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management)

Weather service warns of potential ice jams on Kenai River

Communities previously affected by flooding because of ice jams and buildup include Big Eddy and the Riverside Drive/Eddy Lane subdivision

The National Weather Service out of Anchorage on Saturday issued a special weather statement for the western Kenai Peninsula affecting the communities of Kenai, Soldotna, Homer and Cooper Landing.

“Abnormally cold temperatures” will increase the potential for ice jams along the Kenai River from the Kenai Keys downstream to Soldotna, the weather service said. Though locally reported that the Kenai River is mostly frozen downstream of where the Sterling Highway crosses the river in Soldotna, the river is “mostly open” upstream to the Kenai Keys.

“This sets the stage for the potential of anchor ice buildup on the river bed and hanging ice dams along the river that could cause localized overflow flooding,” the weather statement says.

Communities previously affected by flooding because of ice jams and buildup include Big Eddy and the Riverside Drive/Eddy Lane subdivision, according to the statement.

Per National Weather Service data, air temperatures in Soldotna dropped from 20 degrees at about 1 p.m. on Thursday, to 4 degrees at the same time on Friday, to -7 degrees at the same time on Saturday. The statement is in effect until 4 p.m. Wednesday. Temperatures are forecast to stay below zero through early Wednesday morning.

Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in News

The Alaska Board of Fisheries hears public testimony at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Feb. 18, 1999. (M. Scott Moon/Peninsula Clarion file)
Board of Fisheries again declines to hold Upper Cook Inlet meeting on Kenai Peninsula

The State Board of Fisheries this week rejected calls from the Kenai… Continue reading

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski takes a selfie with Rose Burke at the Kenai Municipal Airport in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. Burke won the 2024 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree essay contest and will travel to Washington, D.C., in December to light the tree. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Connections student to light U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree

Rose Burke, 9, won the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree essay contest and will travel to Washington D.C.

Alaska State Troopers logo.
Soldotna man arrested for possession of child sex abuse material

He was taken to Wildwood Pretrial Facility

A cruise ship is docked in Seward, Alaska on Wednesday, May 25, 2022. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)
Seward gets nearly $46 million for power upgrades at port

The funds are intended to transform Seward’s port into a “green port”

Troopers Joseph Miller Jr. and Jason Woodruff are seen in a screenshot from body camera footage taken in Kenai, Alaska, on May 24, 2024. (Photo provided by Alaska Department of Law)
Grand jury indicts 2 troopers on felony assault charge

The complaint cites both audio and body camera footage

Foliage surrounds the Soldotna Police Department sign on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022 in Soldotna, Alaska. (Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion)
Escott named new chief of Soldotna Police

Stace Escott has been promoted to chief of the Soldotna Police Department,… Continue reading

Campaign signs fill a wall near Paradisos Restaurant in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Candidates spend big on radio advertising, print mailers in final weeks of campaign

Only a week before the general election on Nov. 5, candidates are… Continue reading

An Alaska Division of Elections Official Election Pamphlet rests on a desk in the Peninsula Clarion newsroom on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
When, where to vote in the 2024 general election

Tuesday is Election Day! Voters in the Kenai Peninsula Borough will head… Continue reading

Most Read