Deep Freeze Tightens Hold on the Great White North as America Sees Most Unseasonably Mild Christmas Ever.

Northern Canada has been gripped by an intense and prolonged cold spell, with thermometers lingering in the minus 20 to minus 40 Celsius range for weeks. On Tuesday, Braeburn in the Yukon recorded -55.7C, representing its most frigid December day in nearly five decades.

Consecutive Nights Below -40C

Similarly, the communities of Mayo and Dawson experienced 16 consecutive nights dipping under the minus 40 Celsius threshold, with Mayo plunging to -50.4C earlier this week. Whitehorse also recorded 10 nights when readings fell to minus 30 degrees or lower.

The deep freeze spread farther south through Christmas week. In Edmonton, the Christmas overnight low dipped under -28 degrees Celsius.

December 26th was anticipated to usher in lows of at least -20C in numerous areas, including Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec.

Forecast to Persist into the New Year

The severe cold is forecast to persist through the start of January. 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 historically high electricity consumption.

The lengthy cold snap originates from the Arctic vortex settling over Canada for much of December, allowing bitter Arctic air to spill south. The frigid dome is projected to gradually withdraw north allowing more temperate air from the Pacific to sweep across the US and into parts of southern Canada.

Pronounced Disparity Compared to Stateside Temperatures

Meanwhile, in a dramatic contrast, areas of the United States saw their warmest Christmas Day on record as the mercury climbed roughly 15 to 30 degrees above typical averages. In many areas, conditions felt more typical of April or May rather than the end of December.

A number of states broke historical records for December 25th warmth. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, reached 25 degrees Celsius on Christmas, topping the prior high mark of 22 degrees established over forty years ago. Urban centers like Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte, North Carolina also logged readings above 25 degrees Celsius.

Atmospheric Ridge Fuels Warmth

Unseasonable heat is predicted to persist through Boxing Day and the days ahead, with atypical high temperatures expected to spread into the south-eastern states later in the week.

This heat is being driven by a robust atmospheric ridge extending from the desert south-west towards the north and east, creating a heat-dome effect. This pattern establishes a broad area of high pressure blanketing a significant part of the landmass, which holds warm air close to the ground. As air sinks through the atmosphere, it compresses and heats further, fostering the buildup of exceptional warmth.