<span style="color: #222222;">The coldest US state of Alaska has recorded its hottest-ever December day. This is amid an unusual winter warm spell. Temperatures soared to a record 19.4 degrees celsius on the island of Kodiak on Sunday almost seven degrees warmer than the state's previous high. Elsewhere in Alaska temperatures have been plunging to record lows.<br />'' <br />'' The weather extremes have prompted warnings of an "Icemageddon" from authorities, as torrents of rain and snow have left ice as hard as cement coating the roads.<br />''<br />''Heavy snowfall was followed by torrential rain that left the region coated with ice as the rain quickly froze, resulting in widespread power failures, road closures, and offices being shut.</span>