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Northern Canada has been gripped by a bitter and extended period of frigid weather, with thermometers lingering between -20C and -40C for an extended duration. This week, the Yukon community of Braeburn saw the mercury drop to -55.7C, marking its chilliest December reading in nearly five decades.

Prolonged Freeze Below -40C

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 readings fell to minus 30 degrees or lower.

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

December 26th was anticipated to usher in lows of at least -20C across many regions, encompassing cities from Edmonton to Quebec.

Likely to Linger Through Early January

The severe cold is forecast to persist into the new year. There are warnings of possible electrical grid strain in Yukon territory 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 the Arctic vortex settling across the northern part of the continent this month, which funnels frigid northern air southward. The frigid dome is projected to gradually withdraw north slowly, permitting warmer Pacific winds to flow over the US and into parts of southern Canada.

Pronounced Disparity with US Warmth

Meanwhile, in a dramatic contrast, areas of the United States saw their warmest Christmas Day on record as the mercury climbed roughly 15 to 30 degrees above typical averages. In many areas, conditions felt more typical of April or May rather than the end of December.

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 were also among those that recorded temperatures above 25C.

High-Pressure System Drives the Heat

Warmer-than-normal conditions are forecast to last for the remainder of the week and beyond, with unseasonable heat forecast to sweep through the American Southeast soon.

The warmth has been fuelled by a powerful high-altitude ridge stretching from the southwestern deserts northward and eastward, which generates a heat-dome phenomenon. This pattern establishes a broad area of high pressure over a large portion of North America, trapping warm air near the surface. As air sinks through the atmosphere, it compresses and heats further, fostering the buildup of exceptional warmth.