Winter is coming: Studded tires are now legal in most of Alaska

Is there a surer sign of winter than the sound of studded tires crunching on Alaska roadways?

As of Thursday, it's legal for Alaskans living north of 60 degrees north latitude to start driving with studded tires. For Alaska communities south of 60, including Southeast, the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutians, Kodiak and the Kenai Peninsula south of Ninilchik, studded tires are permitted starting Oct. 1.

According to a release from the Alaska Department of Transportation, Alaska law permits drivers to use studded tires on any paved portion of the Sterling Highway beginning Sept. 15, despite portions of the road being south of the 60th parallel.

However, Southcentral Alaska drivers may not need to stress about changing their tires immediately. The average date of Anchorage's first measurable snowfall is Oct. 16. According to National Weather Service data going back to 1953, Anchorage's earliest first snowfall was Sept. 21, 1996; the latest was Nov. 13, 2002.

Still, winter could come early. Last year, despite a low-snow season overall, the first measurable snowfall of 0.3 inches landed on Anchorage streets Sept. 29.

Weather through this weekend and next week is expected to be "benign," according to Weather Service Meteorologist Rebecca Duell. There will be scattered rain showers and temperatures in the 40s and 50s through the weekend and into next week. Freezing temperatures are not expected.

Studded tires are legal through April 30 north of latitude 60 and April 15 for those south. That's seven months of metal.