Alaska is warmer than Lower 48

America's weather seems more than a bit upside down.

The average temperature for the Lower 48 states at midmorning Wednesday was a chilly 22 degrees. At the same time, the average temperature for the entire state of Alaska was 24 degrees. That's according to calculations by Weather Bell Analytics meteorologist Ryan Maue.

Weather Underground meteorology director Jeff Masters says the river of air that dictates much of America's weather, the jet stream, is wandering again. Warm air is flowing from near Hawaii north to Alaska and from Canada south to the Lower 48.

Southeastern Alaska hit 57 earlier this week. On Wednesday, the temperature in Atlanta dropped to 16, and was down to 9 in Washington, D.C., and to 7 in New York's Central Park.