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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, representing its most frigid December day in nearly five decades.

Enduring Chill of Extreme Cold

In addition, the locales of Mayo and Dawson suffered through over two straight weeks of nights below -40C, with Mayo experiencing a low of -50.4C earlier this week. Whitehorse also recorded 10 nights when the cold dipped under -30 Celsius.

The bitter chill extended its reach south over the festive period. In Edmonton, the Christmas overnight low dipped under -28 degrees Celsius.

Boxing Day was expected to bring minimum temperatures of at least minus 20C through a wide swath, from Edmonton in the west to Quebec in the east.

Likely to Linger into the New Year

The severe cold is forecast to persist through the start of January. Officials have warned that the Yukon could face electricity outages over the next several days, as the system endures record-high pressure from historically high electricity consumption.

The prolonged chill has been caused by the polar vortex remaining anchored 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 allowing more temperate air from the Pacific to sweep across America and reach into portions of southern Canada.

Dramatic Difference Compared to Stateside Temperatures

Conversely, sections of America recorded the hottest December 25th in their history as temperatures soared about 15-30C above the seasonal average. In many areas, conditions felt more typical of April or May rather than the end of December.

Several states set Christmas Day temperature records. The capital of Oklahoma soared to 25C on Christmas Day, topping the prior high mark of 22 degrees established over forty years ago. Metropolitan areas such as Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte also logged readings above 25 degrees Celsius.

Atmospheric Ridge Fuels Warmth

Warmer-than-normal conditions are forecast to last on December 26th and into the weekend, with unseasonable heat forecast to sweep across the southeastern US in the coming days.

The unseasonable temperatures are powered by a strong upper-level ridge stretching from the southwestern deserts northward and eastward, establishing a classic heat-dome pattern. This setup creates an extensive zone of high atmospheric pressure across much of the continent, which holds warm air close to the ground. As air sinks through the atmosphere, it compresses and heats further, enabling abnormally high temperatures to develop.