Prolonged Chill Grips Canada as United States Experiences Hottest Christmas in History.

A prolonged deep freeze has enveloped a bitter and extended period of frigid weather, with readings persisting from 20 to 40 degrees below zero for multiple weeks. This week, the Yukon community of Braeburn saw the mercury drop to -55.7C, its coldest December temperature since 1975.

Consecutive Nights of Extreme Cold

In addition, the locales of Mayo and Dawson suffered through 16 consecutive nights dipping under the minus 40 Celsius threshold, with the temperature in Mayo bottoming out at -50.4 degrees Celsius earlier this week. Whitehorse also recorded a series of ten nights when the cold dipped under -30 Celsius.

The deep freeze spread farther south through Christmas week. Christmas night saw Edmonton's temperatures plummet below minus 28C.

Boxing Day was expected to bring lows of at least -20C across many regions, including Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec.

Likely to Linger Through Early January

The frigid conditions are predicted to linger through the start of January. Officials have warned that the Yukon could face electricity outages soon, as the territory’s power grid comes under strain from record-high energy demand.

The prolonged chill has been caused by the polar vortex remaining anchored above Canadian territory through December, allowing bitter Arctic air to spill south. The frigid dome is projected to gradually withdraw north slowly, permitting warmer Pacific winds to flow over the US and into parts of southern Canada.

Pronounced Disparity with US Warmth

Conversely, sections of America recorded 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 than late December.

A number of states broke historical records for December 25th warmth. In Oklahoma, Oklahoma City hit 25C on Tuesday, exceeding the old record of 22C from 1982. Metropolitan areas such as Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte also logged readings above 25 degrees Celsius.

Heat-Dome Effect Sustains High Temperatures

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 warmth has been fuelled by a powerful high-altitude ridge extending from the desert south-west towards the north and east, establishing a classic heat-dome pattern. This setup creates an extensive zone of high atmospheric pressure over a large portion of North America, trapping warm air near the surface. As air sinks through the atmosphere, it compresses and heats further, enabling abnormally high temperatures to develop.