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Northern Canada has been gripped by a severe and lengthy Arctic outbreak, with thermometers lingering from 20 to 40 degrees below zero for an extended duration. On Tuesday, Braeburn in the Yukon recorded -55.7C, representing its most frigid December day in nearly five decades.

Consecutive Nights of Extreme Cold

In addition, the locales of Mayo and Dawson suffered through over two straight weeks of nights colder than minus 40 degrees, with Mayo experiencing a low of -50.4C on Monday. Whitehorse also recorded a series of ten nights when temperatures dropped below -30C.

The bitter chill extended its reach south through Christmas week. In Edmonton, the Christmas overnight low dipped under -28 degrees Celsius.

Boxing Day was expected to bring lows of at least -20C across many regions, encompassing cities from Edmonton to Quebec.

Expected to Continue For Days to Come

The severe cold is forecast to persist for the foreseeable future. Authorities have cautioned about potential power failures in the Yukon over the next several days, as the territory’s power grid comes under strain from peak power usage levels.

This extended freeze is the result of a stationary polar vortex above Canadian territory through December, enabling a surge of icy Arctic winds to descend. In the coming week, forecasts indicate this cold air will pull back northward gradually, enabling milder Pacific air to move across America and reach into portions of southern Canada.

Stark Contrast to American Heat

Meanwhile, in a dramatic contrast, areas of the United States saw the hottest December 25th in their history as temperatures soared about 15-30C above the seasonal average. For numerous locations, the weather resembled a spring day in April or May instead of the heart of winter.

Multiple states established new Christmas temperature highs. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, reached 25 degrees Celsius on Christmas, topping the prior high mark of 22 degrees established over forty years ago. Metropolitan areas such as Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte similarly saw thermometers rise past the 25C mark.

Atmospheric Ridge Sustains High Temperatures

Unseasonable heat is predicted to persist for the remainder of the week and beyond, with abnormal warmth projected to move across the southeastern US in the coming days.

This heat is being driven by a powerful high-altitude ridge reaching from the arid southwest across the continent, creating a heat-dome effect. This pattern establishes a broad area of high pressure blanketing a significant part of the landmass, which holds warm air close to the ground. Descending air compresses and adiabatically warms, enabling abnormally high temperatures to develop.