Holiday snow dump blankets Valley

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was a snowy one for the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. The National Weather Service reported a total of 11 inches of snow fell north of Palmer, and “upwards of a foot along the Knik River Valley.” Precipitation totals were somewhat lower in the Butte, Big Lake and Sutton, ranging from five to seven inches.

Snowplows were out in force as the snow piled on through the day, with residents working to remove snow from their drives.

Ken Barkley, deputy director at the Mat-Su Central Fire Department, on Tuesday asked residents to “Please make sure access to your home or business is cleared to allow emergency vehicles sufficient access. Improper clearing could delay our responses in the event of an emergency.”

Alaska State Troopers reported their dispatch center, which also serves the Wasilla Police Department, received 28 calls for service for vehicles in distress on Monday, and 17 for crashes. No injuries were reported.

Palmer Police Department reported that from Monday through Tuesday morning, it had responded to six vehicles in ditches, and two motor vehicle accidents, also with no injuries.

Commander Dwayne Shelton of Palmer PD asked residents to be sure to drive slowly throughout the week and leave plenty of room between their own vehicles and the driver ahead of them on the road.

“Sometimes once the snow starts getting plowed up a little bit, it gets polished and slick, and people are comfortable now, because, ‘Now I’ve been driving this nasty road two or three days and been fine,’ and at the next intersection it’s slick, and they’ll slide right through,” Shelton said. “Oftentimes we’ll see more accidents a few days after a big snowfall because people get used to it and feel confidence.”

Shelton said many of the accidents law enforcement responds to could be prevented by driving more slowly to match the road conditions.