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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. On Tuesday, Braeburn in the Yukon recorded -55.7C, its coldest December temperature since 1975.

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 plunging to -50.4C at the start of the week. Whitehorse also recorded a series of ten nights when temperatures dropped below -30C.

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

The day after Christmas was forecast to deliver lows of at least -20C in numerous areas, including Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec.

Forecast to Persist For Days to Come

The severe cold is forecast to persist through the start of January. There are warnings of possible electrical grid strain in Yukon territory in the coming days, 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 across the northern part of the continent this month, which funnels frigid northern air southward. The frigid dome is projected to gradually withdraw north gradually, enabling milder Pacific air to move across the United States and penetrate southern Canadian regions.

Pronounced Disparity with US Warmth

Meanwhile, in a dramatic contrast, areas of the United States saw their warmest Christmas Day on record as readings skyrocketed 15 to 30 degrees Celsius above normal. Across wide regions, the atmosphere was more akin to late spring rather than the end of December.

A number of states broke historical records for December 25th warmth. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, reached 25 degrees Celsius on Christmas, topping the prior high mark of 22 degrees established over forty years ago. Cities including Austin and Dallas, in Texas, and Charlotte, North Carolina similarly saw thermometers rise past the 25C mark.

High-Pressure System Fuels Warmth

Unseasonable heat is predicted to persist for the remainder of the week and beyond, with abnormal warmth projected to move through the American Southeast soon.

This heat is being driven by a robust atmospheric ridge reaching from the arid southwest across the continent, creating a heat-dome effect. Such a configuration results in a widespread high-pressure system blanketing a significant part of the landmass, effectively capping warm air at lower altitudes. Descending air compresses and adiabatically warms, fostering the buildup of exceptional warmth.