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Northern Canada has been gripped by a severe and lengthy Arctic outbreak, with temperatures hovering between -20C and -40C for an extended duration. On Tuesday, Braeburn in the Yukon recorded -55.7C, its coldest December temperature in nearly five decades.

Enduring Chill of Extreme Cold

Meanwhile, Mayo and Dawson endured sixteen nights in a row below -40C, with Mayo experiencing a low of -50.4C earlier this week. The capital, Whitehorse, likewise saw ten separate nights when readings fell to minus 30 degrees or lower.

This Arctic air mass pushed further southward over the festive period. On Christmas Day, overnight temperatures in Edmonton fell below -28C.

The day after Christmas was forecast to deliver minimum temperatures of at least minus 20C in numerous areas, from Edmonton in the west to Quebec in the east.

Likely to Linger Through Early January

The severe cold is forecast to persist through the start of January. Officials have warned that the Yukon could face electricity outages in the coming days, as its energy infrastructure faces unprecedented demand from historically high electricity consumption.

This extended freeze is the result of a stationary polar vortex across the northern part of the continent this month, enabling a surge of icy Arctic winds to descend. 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.

Stark Contrast to American Heat

In stark contrast, parts of the US experienced 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 than late December.

Multiple states established new Christmas temperature highs. The capital of Oklahoma soared to 25C on Christmas Day, exceeding the old record of 22C from 1982. Cities including Austin and Dallas, in Texas, and Charlotte, North Carolina were also among those that recorded temperatures above 25C.

High-Pressure System Fuels Warmth

Unseasonable heat is predicted to persist through Boxing Day and the days ahead, with atypical high temperatures expected to spread across the southeastern US in the coming days.

This heat is being driven by a powerful high-altitude ridge reaching from the arid southwest across the continent, which generates a heat-dome phenomenon. Such a configuration results in a widespread high-pressure system blanketing a significant part of the landmass, trapping warm air near the surface. Descending air compresses and adiabatically warms, fostering the buildup of exceptional warmth.