By Marcia Kuszmaul

Homer Independent Press

The winter’s deep freeze is resulting in a prolonged breakup season that could last into June.


Dan Kort, Homer Public Works director, said it will be another three to four weeks before the ground beneath paved roads firms up enough to handle the heavy grading equipment needed for repairs.


“We normally can do that work by mid-May, but this year it looks like mid-June,” he said. “Be patient. We’ll all get through this together.”


Kort said his road crews have been working six to seven hours a day for the past three months to keep culverts open to avoid flooding where they can and to fill potholes on unimproved roads with gravel.


One neighborhood in Nikolavesk is learning patience the hard way. For nearly two weeks, since April 27, about 80 to 100 residents of the Wildwood Ranch neighborhood have been walking more than a mile to get to and from their homes since their community-maintained road failed.


Susie Haubner, a resident, said the area has been cut off from emergency services and “it’s a little bit scary” for the 25 families affected. 

The road that connects the Wildwood Ranch community of Nikolavesk to the world is impassable on April 29, 2026. As many as 80 to 100 residents have been walking more than a mile to and from their homes since April 27. (Photo provided by Susie Haubner)


Mike Mungoven, a retired soil scientist who lives on Epperson Knob off the North Fork Road, reported that the slopes are still frozen, with only about an inch of ground thawed.


He explained that local soils are primarily fine volcanic ash that retains water but can thaw out quickly. With the ground beneath still frozen, however, there’s no place for the water to go, creating the waterlogged and washout conditions the area is experiencing.


Mungoven said key variables for breakup conditions are the amount of snowfall — as snow insulates the ground — and how fast it gets cold.


This winter, according to the Homer Airport Weather Station records, temperatures plunged fast, and snowfall was only about a third of the previous winter. December 2025 was the coldest December in 15 years (since 2010), with an average temperature of 19 degrees and an average low of 6 degrees. In comparison, the previous year’s average temperature in December 2024 was 36 degrees with an average low of 23 degrees.


A record cold March didn’t help. Instead of the usual gradual warming toward spring, temperatures took another dive to deliver the coldest March in nearly 20 years (since 2007) — average temperature of 19 degrees with an average low of 10 degrees. Last March, temperatures averaged 37 degrees with an average low of 27 degrees.


The public works department measured frost depths of up to 8 feet as it has worked to fix water mains within the city. The most serious break was March 22 at the Homer Airport Terminal, which released about 200,000 gallons of water and closed the terminal. Work is still underway to determine the extent of the damage and determine the repairs needed to reopen the facility.


“Every now and again, you’ll hear about a contractor who wants you to put your pipes down 8 feet. Most folks would recommend 4 feet,” Mungoven said. “Every now and again, that 8-foot guy is going to be right on. This year he’s looking pretty good.”


A water main break on April 8 closed Main Street for a day. The Porcupine on Pioneer Avenue was closed for four days when ice in an uphill culvert released on April 18 and streamed water down the hill, flooding the theater.

The Porcupine’s social media post on April 18, 2026, announces closure due to flooding. (Social media screenshot)


Another casualty of the harsh March was the Homer Chamber of Commerce’s 32nd Annual Winter King Salmon Tournament. Originally scheduled for March 21, it was rescheduled twice before going off on April 4 with a third fewer anglers registered.