Most Mat-Su schools to stay closed Tuesday as high wind warning extended and thousands remain without power
A emergency shelter in Wasilla was expected to remain open.
Updated Dec. 8, 3:24 p.m.
What you need to know:
- A high wind warning for the Matanuska Valley was extended through early Tuesday, with gusts of up to 75 mph, and most Mat-Su schools will remain closed. Subzero air temperatures were expected to move in early Wednesday.
- More than 10,000 households and businesses were affected by power outages as of midday Monday, with some outages lasting multiple days. An emergency shelter at the Menard Center in Wasilla was expected to remain open.
- Most Mat-Su schools were closed Monday. District officials said any Tuesday closures would be announced by late Monday.
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WASILLA — Most Mat-Su schools will be closed for a second day as a high wind warning was extended into Tuesday for the Mat-Su, and more than 10,000 households and businesses remained without power.
Schools across most of the region will remain closed Tuesday “due to ongoing high wind, electrical outages, and the time needed to make sure all facilities and school buses are ready for normal operations,” Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District officials said in a release.
Only schools in Talkeetna, Willow and Trapper Creek, where the storm had a lower impact, were set to remain open, officials said.
Northeast winds were forecast to slow around sunset Monday, according to an updated warning from the National Weather Service in Anchorage. Gusts of up to 75 mph were expected, with sustained winds between 30 and 40 mph. Frigid temperatures were expected to follow early Wednesday, the agency said.
“Winds will reduce to 5 to 20 mph by Tuesday afternoon,” the warning said. “Ambient temperatures will likely drop below zero by Wednesday morning, continuing through the week.”
An American Red Cross emergency shelter at the Menard Center in Wasilla will remain open until it’s no longer needed, Matanuska-Susitna Borough Emergency Services Director Ken Barkley said in an interview Monday.
“The wind has to stop before we even consider shutting it down,” he said. “The other part is people’s pipes freezing – so I’m concerned about that.”
Seventeen individuals were using the shelter Monday morning, he said. About a dozen people stayed over Sunday night, said shelter volunteer Joani Godsil, with many more coming and going throughout the day as they warmed up and charged their phones.
Unlike shelters hosted at the Menard during previous emergencies, the current setup can accommodate pets in crates, Red Cross officials said. A separate room is available for the animals and their owners, Godsil said.
More than 10,000 residents from Big Lake to Glacier View were impacted by new and ongoing power outages Monday, with several thousand without power for multiple days, Matanuska Electric Association officials said.
Borough emergency services crews responded to 440 calls between Friday evening and Monday morning – about three times more than a normal weekend, Barkley said.
MEA crews and contractors were prioritizing the longest outages and those affecting the most people, but had to pause some work due to unsafe conditions, officials said in a social media post.
“In some areas, crews have already attempted restoration but had to pull back due to dangerous, sustained wind gusts,” they said. “Safety comes first, and when conditions improve, crews will return to those locations as soon as it’s safe.”
Peak wind speeds at the Palmer Airport dropped from gusts of 81 mph early Monday morning to a peak of 70 mph at about 11 a.m. At the Wasilla Airport, a gust 68 mph was observed just before 11 a.m.
In Palmer, the MTA Events Center ice rink was open with a variety of free activities and fee-based public skating.
Many businesses and facilities around the region were also closed Monday, including the city of Wasilla and Alaska state offices. Major stores in Wasilla — including Target, Fred Meyer, and Walmart — were closed due to power outages.
-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com