Officials at the National Weather Service have warned drivers that "severe winter weather conditions will make travel very hazardous."

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued several winter weather alerts for Alaska, with some areas expected to get up to 20 inches of snow while parts of the state are experiencing unusually warm temperatures. Alaska, known for its extremely cold and snowy climate, has experienced some rare warm weather this month.

The largest populated city in Alaska is still recovering from the hurricane-force winds that battered homes and infrastructure on Sunday, leaving thousands without power.

The National Weather Service has issued winter storm warnings for parts of California and Alaska, where up to 22 inches of snow could be recorded in some areas. Lower winter weather advisory notes are also in place for seven other states as a wave of inclement weather sweeps across central and eastern parts of the country.

NWS Alaska meteorologist Tim Markle said the warnings are designed to let community members know when the cold weather presents a risk to the community. However, the old system set wind chill warnings and advisories, which were statewide in scope, and only kicked in when there was a wind chill.

The National Weather Service is calling for a series of atmospheric rivers to descend on Southcentral over the weekend.

Unusually cold temperatures in central Florida have led to winter weather advisories, while Alaska has experienced some rare warm weather this month.

On Jan. 23, 1971, a weather observer at Prospect Creek Camp measured a temperature of minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

In this time when peak cold often arrives in the northern hemisphere, Alaska today celebrates the king-of-the-cold’s birthday.

The rare Southern storm prompted this headline from the Anchorage Daily News: "Hey, New Orleans, please send some of your snow to Anchorage."

Expect temperatures to get warmer during the days through the weekend, but overnight lows will still be freezing for most of North and Central Florida.

It may be January, but the unusually warm, rainy weather feels more like spring breakup, and it's bringing the kind of flooding concerns also usually not seen in the Anchorage area until later in the year.