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Northern Canada has been gripped by an intense and prolonged cold spell, with thermometers lingering from 20 to 40 degrees below zero for an extended duration. This week, the Yukon community of Braeburn saw the mercury drop to -55.7C, representing its most frigid December day in nearly five decades.

Prolonged Freeze Below -40C

In addition, the locales of Mayo and Dawson suffered through sixteen nights in a row below -40C, with the temperature in Mayo bottoming out at -50.4 degrees Celsius earlier this week. Whitehorse similarly reported ten separate nights when temperatures dropped below -30C.

The deep freeze spread farther south over the festive period. In Edmonton, the Christmas overnight low dipped under -28 degrees Celsius.

Boxing Day was expected to bring lows of at least -20C in numerous areas, encompassing cities from Edmonton to Quebec.

Likely to Linger into the New Year

The severe cold is forecast to persist through the start of January. There are warnings of possible electrical grid strain in Yukon territory in the coming days, as its energy infrastructure faces unprecedented demand from record-high energy demand.

This extended freeze is the result of a stationary polar vortex above Canadian territory through December, which funnels frigid northern air southward. The frigid dome is projected to gradually withdraw north gradually, enabling milder Pacific air to move across America and reach into portions of southern Canada.

Stark Contrast to American Heat

Conversely, sections of America recorded their warmest Christmas Day on record as the mercury climbed roughly 15 to 30 degrees above typical averages. For numerous locations, the weather resembled a spring day in April or May than late December.

Several states set Christmas Day temperature records. In Oklahoma, Oklahoma City hit 25C on Tuesday, surpassing the previous peak of 22C set in 1982. Urban centers like Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte, North Carolina were also among those that recorded temperatures above 25C.

High-Pressure System Sustains High Temperatures

Warmer-than-normal conditions are forecast to last for the remainder of the week and beyond, with abnormal warmth projected to move into the south-eastern states later in the week.

The warmth has been fuelled by a strong upper-level ridge reaching from the arid southwest across the continent, establishing a classic heat-dome pattern. This setup creates an extensive zone of high atmospheric pressure across much of the continent, trapping warm air near the surface. Sinking atmospheric air undergoes compression and additional heating, enabling abnormally high temperatures to develop.