Outages down to about 100 after winter storm, more wind could hit Mat Valley

Life is gradually returning to normal following the New Year’s weekend wind storm in the Mat-Su, but more windy weather could be on the way for the Lower Valley.

As of Thursday afternoon, Matanuska Electric Association says around a hundred of its members are without power.  At their peak during the storm, outages topped 20,000.  Most outages of more than ten were resolved by Thursday, including about thirty homes off Lichtenwalner Road in Talkeetna that had been without power since Saturday.

Schools in the Northern Susitna Valley re-opened on Thursday, while schools further south remained closed, citing safety concerns in parking lots. More information from the Mat-Su Borough, as well as the current MEA map, is available on the storm information page.

The most severe damage from the storm occurred in the Lower Valley, including multiple heavily damaged commercial properties and trailers blown off the highway.  Even as recovery efforts continue, the National Weather Service says there is the possibility for high winds again on Friday.  The forecasted winds are not nearly as strong as those that blew in last weekend, but could still gust to about fifty miles per hour and result in wind chills of thirty degrees below zero in areas of the Matanuska Valley.