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Northern Canada has been gripped by a severe and lengthy Arctic outbreak, with thermometers lingering from 20 to 40 degrees below zero for weeks. A reading of -55.7 Celsius was logged in Braeburn, Yukon, on Tuesday, marking its chilliest December reading in half a century.

Enduring Chill Below -40C

Similarly, the communities of Mayo and Dawson experienced sixteen nights in a row dipping under the minus 40 Celsius threshold, with Mayo experiencing a low of -50.4C on Monday. The capital, Whitehorse, likewise saw ten separate nights when readings fell to minus 30 degrees or lower.

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

The day after Christmas was forecast to deliver readings no higher than -20 Celsius through a wide swath, encompassing cities from Edmonton to Quebec.

Forecast to Persist into the New Year

The severe cold is forecast to persist for the foreseeable future. Officials have warned that the Yukon could face electricity outages soon, as the territory’s power grid comes under strain from historically high electricity consumption.

This extended freeze is the result of the Arctic vortex settling over Canada for much of December, 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 to American Heat

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. In many areas, conditions felt more typical of April or May rather than the end of December.

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. Urban centers like Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte, North Carolina similarly saw thermometers rise past the 25C mark.

Atmospheric Ridge Sustains High Temperatures

Unseasonable heat is predicted to persist on December 26th and into the weekend, with atypical high temperatures expected to spread 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, effectively capping warm air at lower altitudes. As air sinks through the atmosphere, it compresses and heats further, allowing unusually warm temperatures to build.