🔗 Share this article

A prolonged deep freeze has enveloped an intense and prolonged cold spell, with thermometers lingering in the minus 20 to minus 40 Celsius range for weeks. This week, the Yukon community of Braeburn saw the mercury drop to -55.7C, marking its chilliest December reading in half a century.

Consecutive Nights of Extreme Cold

Meanwhile, Mayo and Dawson endured 16 consecutive nights colder than minus 40 degrees, with Mayo plunging to -50.4C at the start of the week. The capital, Whitehorse, likewise saw ten separate nights when readings fell to minus 30 degrees or lower.

This Arctic air mass pushed further southward through Christmas week. In Edmonton, the Christmas overnight low dipped under -28 degrees Celsius.

December 26th was anticipated to usher in minimum temperatures of at least minus 20C in numerous areas, encompassing cities from Edmonton to Quebec.

Likely to Linger Through Early January

The severe cold is forecast to persist into the new year. Officials have warned that the Yukon could face electricity outages in the coming days, as the system endures record-high pressure from record-high energy demand.

The lengthy cold snap originates from a stationary polar vortex over Canada for much of December, enabling a surge of icy Arctic winds to descend. Next week, the cold air mass is expected to retreat north slowly, permitting warmer Pacific winds to flow over the United States and penetrate southern Canadian regions.

Pronounced Disparity Compared to Stateside Temperatures

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 rather than the end of December.

Several states set Christmas Day temperature records. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, reached 25 degrees Celsius on Christmas, topping the prior high mark of 22 degrees established over forty years ago. Urban centers like Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte, North Carolina similarly saw thermometers rise past the 25C mark.

High-Pressure System Fuels Warmth

Warmer-than-normal conditions are forecast to last through Boxing Day and the days ahead, with atypical high temperatures expected to spread into the south-eastern states later in the week.

This heat is being driven by a powerful high-altitude ridge stretching from the southwestern deserts northward and eastward, which generates a heat-dome phenomenon. This setup creates an extensive zone of high atmospheric pressure across much of the continent, which holds warm air close to the ground. Sinking atmospheric air undergoes compression and additional heating, enabling abnormally high temperatures to develop.