Deep Freeze Envelops Canada as United States Experiences Warmest Christmas on Record.

Northern Canada has been gripped by a severe and lengthy Arctic outbreak, with readings persisting between -20C and -40C for an extended duration. A reading of -55.7 Celsius was logged in Braeburn, Yukon, on Tuesday, its coldest December temperature in half a century.

Prolonged Freeze 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 the temperature in Mayo bottoming out at -50.4 degrees Celsius at the start of the week. Whitehorse also recorded ten separate nights when temperatures dropped below -30C.

The deep freeze spread farther south during the holiday season. On Christmas Day, overnight temperatures in Edmonton fell below -28C.

December 26th was anticipated to usher in readings no higher than -20 Celsius across many regions, from Edmonton in the west to Quebec in the east.

Expected to Continue For Days to Come

The severe cold is forecast to persist for the foreseeable future. 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 record-high energy demand.

The prolonged chill has been caused by a stationary polar vortex across the northern part of the continent this month, which funnels frigid northern air southward. Next week, the cold air mass is expected to retreat north allowing more temperate air from the Pacific to sweep across the United States and penetrate southern Canadian regions.

Pronounced Disparity with US Warmth

In stark contrast, parts of the US experienced historically high temperatures for Christmas as readings skyrocketed 15 to 30 degrees Celsius above normal. Across wide regions, the atmosphere was more akin to late spring instead of the heart of winter.

A number of states broke historical records for December 25th warmth. In Oklahoma, Oklahoma City hit 25C on Tuesday, 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 atypical high temperatures expected to spread through the American Southeast soon.

The warmth has been fuelled by a strong upper-level 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, effectively capping warm air at lower altitudes. Sinking atmospheric air undergoes compression and additional heating, allowing unusually warm temperatures to build.