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

Prolonged Freeze of Extreme Cold

In addition, the locales of Mayo and Dawson suffered through sixteen nights in a row below -40C, with Mayo plunging to -50.4C at the start of the week. Whitehorse similarly reported a series of ten nights when readings fell to minus 30 degrees or lower.

The bitter chill extended its reach south through Christmas week. On Christmas Day, overnight temperatures in Edmonton fell below -28C.

Boxing Day was expected to bring minimum temperatures of at least minus 20C through a wide swath, including Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec.

Forecast to Persist Through Early January

The frigid conditions are predicted to linger into the new year. Officials have warned that the Yukon could face electricity outages over the next several days, as its energy infrastructure faces unprecedented demand from peak power usage levels.

This extended freeze is the result of a stationary polar vortex over Canada for much of December, which funnels frigid northern air southward. In the coming week, forecasts indicate this cold air will pull back northward gradually, enabling milder Pacific air to move across America and reach into portions of southern Canada.

Pronounced Disparity Compared to Stateside Temperatures

Conversely, sections of America recorded historically high temperatures for Christmas as the mercury climbed roughly 15 to 30 degrees above typical averages. Across wide regions, the atmosphere was more akin to late spring rather than the end of December.

Several states set Christmas Day temperature records. In Oklahoma, Oklahoma City hit 25C on Tuesday, topping the prior high mark of 22 degrees established over forty years ago. Metropolitan areas such as Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte were also among those that recorded temperatures above 25C.

High-Pressure System Drives the Heat

Above-average warmth is expected to continue through Boxing Day and the days ahead, with abnormal warmth projected to move through the American Southeast soon.

This heat is being driven by a strong upper-level ridge reaching from the arid southwest across the continent, establishing a classic heat-dome pattern. This setup creates an extensive zone of high atmospheric pressure blanketing a significant part of the landmass, trapping warm air near the surface. As air sinks through the atmosphere, it compresses and heats further, allowing unusually warm temperatures to build.