The Voice of the Key Peninsula

Snow arrived on the Key Peninsula Jan. 17 with the first snowfall of the year, and of the winter season. It was just a taste of the storm front to come, which brought 10 or more inches of snow to some areas of the KP.

By Jan. 19 the precipitation turned to ice, creating a winter wonderland that quickly became treacherous as the trees burdened with heavy snow and ice began to snap.

As temperatures began to warm, ice and snow slid and fell from overhead trees, roofs and other structures.

Washington State Patrol worked with Washington State Department of Transportation and closed both Tacoma Narrows Bridges at around noon on Jan. 20 due to falling ice. Large chunks were falling from the bridge structure onto the bridge deck.

“We started getting reports of vehicles being struck by ice,” said Guy Gill, spokesperson for the Washington State Patrol. “We had seven reports of vehicles being hit, or near misses, and we assumed there were others who didn’t call. Once we saw big chunks on the bridge deck the decision was made to close the two bridges. We could not risk a piece coming down onto a vehicle.”

Some of the pieces of ice were quite large, he said, and falling from the tower at such a speed that they could easily have penetrated a vehicle. The bridges reopened to traffic after 6:30 p.m.

“You have to be patient when you’re waiting for ice to melt,” Gill said. The last time the bridge was closed was in 1996, during a similar ice storm, he said.

Peninsula School District students were given a few days off, and KP residents experienced power outages off and on over the three days. Peninsula Light reported via their Twitter feed that 3,000 customers were without power in the early hours of Jan. 20.

Key Peninsula Fire District 16 crews responded to 14 calls for downed trees and utility lines in one 8-hour period on Jan. 19 alone, and Pierce County Emergency Management reported 50 road closures on Jan. 20.
Homeowners and business owners affected by the winter storm can report damage to the PC Damage Assessment Center at 1-866-798-6363 Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.