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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 weeks. This week, the Yukon community of Braeburn saw the mercury drop to -55.7C, representing its most frigid December day since 1975.

Prolonged Freeze of Extreme Cold

In addition, the locales of Mayo and Dawson suffered through over two straight weeks of nights below -40C, with the temperature in Mayo bottoming out at -50.4 degrees Celsius at the start of the week. Whitehorse also recorded 10 nights when readings fell to minus 30 degrees or lower.

The bitter chill extended its reach south over the festive period. On Christmas Day, overnight temperatures in Edmonton fell below -28C.

Boxing Day was expected to bring readings no higher than -20 Celsius in numerous areas, from Edmonton in the west to Quebec in the east.

Forecast to Persist Through Early January

The frigid conditions are predicted to linger for the foreseeable future. Officials have warned that the Yukon could face electricity outages soon, as the territory’s power grid comes under strain from peak power usage levels.

The lengthy cold snap originates from the polar vortex remaining anchored above Canadian territory through December, enabling a surge of icy Arctic winds to descend. Next week, the cold air mass is expected to retreat north gradually, enabling milder Pacific air to move across America and reach into portions of southern Canada.

Dramatic Difference 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. Across wide regions, the atmosphere was more akin to late spring rather than the end of December.

Multiple states established new Christmas temperature highs. In Oklahoma, Oklahoma City hit 25C on Tuesday, exceeding the old record of 22C from 1982. Metropolitan areas such as Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte were also among those that recorded temperatures above 25C.

Atmospheric Ridge Fuels Warmth

Above-average warmth is expected to continue through Boxing Day and the days ahead, with atypical high temperatures expected to spread through the American Southeast soon.

The warmth has been fuelled by a powerful high-altitude ridge extending from the desert south-west towards the north and east, establishing a classic heat-dome pattern. This pattern establishes a broad area of high pressure across much of the continent, trapping warm air near the surface. Sinking atmospheric air undergoes compression and additional heating, allowing unusually warm temperatures to build.