Deep Freeze Grips the Great White North as America Sees Warmest Christmas on Record.
Northern Canada has been gripped by a bitter and extended period of frigid weather, with thermometers lingering in the minus 20 to minus 40 Celsius range for multiple weeks. A reading of -55.7 Celsius was logged in Braeburn, Yukon, on Tuesday, its coldest December temperature since 1975.
Consecutive Nights Below -40C
Similarly, the communities of Mayo and Dawson experienced 16 consecutive nights below -40C, 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 over the festive period. Christmas night saw Edmonton's temperatures plummet below minus 28C.
The day after Christmas was forecast to deliver minimum temperatures of at least minus 20C in numerous areas, encompassing cities from Edmonton to Quebec.
Expected to Continue For Days to Come
The frigid conditions are predicted to linger into the new year. Officials have warned that the Yukon could face electricity outages over the next several days, as its energy infrastructure faces unprecedented demand from peak power usage levels.
This extended freeze is the result of the Arctic vortex settling over Canada for much of December, allowing bitter Arctic air to spill south. Next week, the cold air mass is expected to retreat north slowly, permitting warmer Pacific winds to flow over America and reach into portions of southern Canada.
Dramatic Difference Compared to Stateside Temperatures
Meanwhile, in a dramatic contrast, areas of the United States saw historically high temperatures for Christmas as readings skyrocketed 15 to 30 degrees Celsius above normal. For numerous locations, the weather resembled a spring day in April or May than late December.
A number of states broke historical records for December 25th warmth. In Oklahoma, Oklahoma City hit 25C on Tuesday, exceeding the old record of 22C from 1982. Metropolitan areas such as Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte also logged readings above 25 degrees Celsius.
High-Pressure System Fuels Warmth
Warmer-than-normal conditions are forecast to last on December 26th and into the weekend, with atypical high temperatures expected to spread across the southeastern US in the coming days.
The warmth has been fuelled by a powerful high-altitude ridge reaching from the arid southwest across the continent, which generates a heat-dome phenomenon. This setup creates an extensive zone of high atmospheric 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, enabling abnormally high temperatures to develop.
