State officials have delayed the usual May 1 deadline for Alaskans in much of the state to remove snow tires, as Anchorage nears a record winter snowfall total.
Department of Public Safety Commissioner James Cockrell pushed the deadline back to May 15 in a Monday emergency order for areas of the state above 60 degrees north latitude, including Anchorage, most of the Kenai Peninsula, the Interior and northern Alaska as well as all parts of the Sterling Highway. He cited heavy snow this winter, which has pushed Anchorage to tie its second-highest total for recorded snowfall as of Friday.
“Many parts of Alaska are experiencing prolonged winter weather after a near record setting snow season that has extended icy road conditions well into April,” Cockrell said in a statement. “This 15-day extension for the studded tire removal deadline will provide additional time to switch to regular tires without compromising safety.”
Anchorage drivers also face a municipal deadline for removing studded tires, which is typically matched to the state deadline. Mayor Dave Bronson quickly moved the municipal deadline when the state deadline was extended last year, but a question to his office about this year’s deadline wasn’t immediately answered Monday.
This year’s deadline extension does not affect areas south of 60 degrees, including the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands, the southern Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak and Southeast Alaska. Drivers in those areas remain under their usual April 15 deadline to remove studded tires.
Chris Klint is a web producer and breaking news reporter at Alaska Public Media. Reach him at cklint@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Chris here.
