(iWitnessWeather/ArcticFoxx)

April 2013 was the coldest in over a decade for the U.S. Then, early May featured a freak snowstorm, with accumulating snow falling as far south as Arkansas.

Fortunately, if you're not a winter fan, mid-May's higher sun angle and climatology finally shoved this cold out of the U.S. Well...except for one state.

Map of temperature anomalies from April 1 through May 14, 2013. Strongest cold anomalies (4-5 degrees C or more) indicated by deep purple contours. (Image: NOAA/ESRL Physical Science Division)

Isn't Alaska "Typically Cold" Anyway?

First, consider average highs and lows in mid-May:

Anchorage: Upper 50s/low 40sFairbanks: Low 60s/upper 30s

This spring's cold is not simply about magnitude, but also persistence. The map above at right shows the incredible persistence of the cold since April 1.

Through May 17, Fairbanks has registered 44 straight days colder than average. When is the last time you saw such a cold streak elsewhere in the Lower 48 States?

April was the coldest on record in Fairbanks and the coldest since 1985 for the state.

Oh yes...and then there's snow!

Alaska Satellite

A Late Snow!

Low pressure from the Gulf of Alaska is interacting with just enough persistent cold air near the surface to allow rain to wring out snow over parts of Alaska's interior as well as the "Anchorage bowl."

While the heaviest snow fell over higher elevations (9.1" total in Eagle River), accumulating snow also fell in the city of Anchorage May 17-18.

Officially, 0.4" of snow was officially measured at the National Weather Service office in Anchorage, setting a record for the longest snow season on record in Anchorage.

The city recorded its first measurable snow of the season on September 29, 2012. With snow continuing Saturday morning, this makes their interval between the first and last measurable snow a whopping 232 days!

In records dating to 1916, the latest-in-season one-inch-plus snowfall in Anchorage was May 9, 1963, while the latest measurable snow, there, was Jun. 22, 1949 (0.4").

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VIDEO ON WEATHER.COM: Arctic Meltdown