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Northern Canada has been gripped by a bitter and extended period of frigid weather, with readings persisting in the minus 20 to minus 40 Celsius range for an extended duration. On Tuesday, Braeburn in the Yukon recorded -55.7C, representing its most frigid December day in half a century.

Consecutive Nights of Extreme Cold

In addition, the locales of Mayo and Dawson suffered through sixteen nights in a row dipping under the minus 40 Celsius threshold, with Mayo plunging to -50.4C at the start of the week. Whitehorse similarly reported ten separate nights when temperatures dropped below -30C.

This Arctic air mass pushed further southward over the festive period. Christmas night saw Edmonton's temperatures plummet below minus 28C.

Boxing Day was expected to bring lows of at least -20C across many regions, encompassing cities from Edmonton to Quebec.

Forecast to Persist Through Early January

This harsh winter weather is expected to continue into the new year. 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 record-high energy demand.

This extended freeze is the result of a stationary polar vortex across the northern part of the continent this month, enabling a surge of icy Arctic winds to descend. 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.

Stark Contrast Compared to Stateside Temperatures

In stark contrast, parts of the US experienced historically high temperatures for Christmas as the mercury climbed roughly 15 to 30 degrees above typical averages. For numerous locations, the weather resembled a spring day in April or May instead of the heart of winter.

Multiple states established new Christmas temperature highs. The capital of Oklahoma soared to 25C on Christmas Day, surpassing the previous peak of 22C set in 1982. Metropolitan areas such as Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte also logged readings above 25 degrees Celsius.

High-Pressure System Drives the Heat

Warmer-than-normal conditions are forecast to last through Boxing Day and the days ahead, with unseasonable heat forecast to sweep into the south-eastern states later in the week.

The warmth has been fuelled by a strong upper-level ridge stretching from the southwestern deserts northward and eastward, creating a heat-dome effect. This pattern establishes a broad area of high pressure over a large portion of North America, which holds warm air close to the ground. Sinking atmospheric air undergoes compression and additional heating, allowing unusually warm temperatures to build.