WINTER ARRIVES

WASILLA — It’s ditch-diving season, or at least it usually is, but Valley first responders say the year’s first snowfall hasn’t caused much trouble thus far.

“It’s been very light. Quite often on the first day of snow we go from wreck to wreck, but that’s not been the case,” Palmer’s director of public safety Jon Owen said Monday.

Over in Wasilla the picture was much the same.

“We’ve had two (accidents) today since midnight,” said Deputy Wasilla Police Chief Greg Wood. “For first snowfall it’s been pretty uneventful for us, which is good. I like it.”

Owen said he thinks a couple of factors conspired to make the transition to winter easier on local drivers.

First, the snow seemed to come down at about the same time the weather started turning colder. With the ground nice and chilly, the snow didn’t melt and the Valley avoided the soupy mess that is often the result of the first snowfall. And second, the snow came later this year than usual.

“We’ve also had more time for people to prepare for the snow, so probably more people have put their snow tires on,” Owen said.