Deep Freeze Grips Canada as US Records Warmest Christmas in History.

An intense cold spell has seized an intense and prolonged cold spell, with temperatures hovering 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 of Extreme Cold

In addition, the locales of Mayo and Dawson suffered through sixteen nights in a row colder than minus 40 degrees, with the temperature in Mayo bottoming out at -50.4 degrees Celsius earlier this week. Whitehorse also recorded ten separate nights when the cold dipped under -30 Celsius.

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

The day after Christmas was forecast to deliver minimum temperatures of at least minus 20C through a wide swath, encompassing cities from Edmonton to Quebec.

Likely to Linger Through Early January

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 record-high energy demand.

This extended freeze is the result of the polar vortex remaining anchored over Canada for much of December, enabling a surge of icy Arctic winds to descend. Next week, the cold air mass is expected to retreat north slowly, permitting warmer Pacific winds to flow over the United States and penetrate southern Canadian regions.

Pronounced Disparity Compared to Stateside Temperatures

Conversely, sections of America recorded the hottest December 25th in their history as readings skyrocketed 15 to 30 degrees Celsius above normal. 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. Cities including Austin and Dallas, in Texas, and Charlotte, North Carolina similarly saw thermometers rise past the 25C mark.

Heat-Dome Effect Sustains High Temperatures

Warmer-than-normal conditions are forecast to last for the remainder of the week and beyond, with atypical high temperatures expected to spread through the American Southeast soon.

This heat is being driven by a robust atmospheric ridge extending from the desert south-west towards the north and east, which generates a heat-dome phenomenon. This setup creates an extensive zone of high atmospheric pressure blanketing a significant part of the landmass, trapping warm air near the surface. Descending air compresses and adiabatically warms, enabling abnormally high temperatures to develop.