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Northern Canada has been gripped by a bitter and extended period of frigid weather, with temperatures hovering from 20 to 40 degrees below zero for weeks. On Tuesday, Braeburn in the Yukon recorded -55.7C, its coldest December temperature in half a century.

Enduring Chill 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 Mayo plunging to -50.4C at the start of the week. Whitehorse also recorded a series of ten 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 across many regions, including Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec.

Likely to Linger into the New Year

The frigid conditions are predicted to linger for the foreseeable future. Authorities have cautioned about potential power failures in the Yukon in the coming days, as its energy infrastructure faces unprecedented demand from record-high energy demand.

This extended freeze is the result of the polar vortex remaining anchored over Canada for much of December, allowing bitter Arctic air to spill south. 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 to American Heat

Meanwhile, in a dramatic contrast, areas of the United States saw the hottest December 25th in their history as the mercury climbed roughly 15 to 30 degrees above typical averages. Across wide regions, the atmosphere was more akin to late spring than late December.

Multiple states established new Christmas temperature highs. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, reached 25 degrees Celsius on Christmas, surpassing the previous peak of 22C set in 1982. Metropolitan areas such as Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte similarly saw thermometers rise past the 25C mark.

Atmospheric Ridge Sustains High Temperatures

Warmer-than-normal conditions are forecast to last for the remainder of the week and beyond, with abnormal warmth projected to move into the south-eastern states later in the week.

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 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.