Prolonged Chill Grips Canada as US Records Most Unseasonably Mild Christmas in History.
A prolonged deep freeze has enveloped an intense and prolonged cold spell, with readings persisting between -20C and -40C for an extended duration. This week, the Yukon community of Braeburn saw the mercury drop to -55.7C, representing its most frigid December day since 1975.
Enduring Chill of Extreme Cold
Meanwhile, Mayo and Dawson endured 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. The capital, Whitehorse, likewise saw ten separate nights when the cold dipped under -30 Celsius.
This Arctic air mass pushed further southward through Christmas week. On Christmas Day, overnight temperatures in Edmonton fell below -28C.
The day after Christmas was forecast to deliver lows of at least -20C through a wide swath, from Edmonton in the west to Quebec in the east.
Likely to Linger Through Early January
The severe cold is forecast to persist into the new year. Authorities have cautioned about potential power failures in the Yukon 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 above Canadian territory through December, allowing bitter Arctic air to spill south. The frigid dome is projected to gradually withdraw north slowly, permitting warmer Pacific winds to flow over America and reach into portions of southern Canada.
Pronounced Disparity with US Warmth
Conversely, sections of America recorded historically high temperatures for Christmas as the mercury climbed roughly 15 to 30 degrees above typical averages. In many areas, conditions felt more typical of April or May than late December.
A number of states broke historical records for December 25th warmth. The capital of Oklahoma soared to 25C on Christmas Day, exceeding the old record of 22C from 1982. Metropolitan areas such as Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte also logged readings above 25 degrees Celsius.
High-Pressure System Sustains High Temperatures
Unseasonable heat is predicted to persist on December 26th and into the weekend, with abnormal warmth projected to move into the south-eastern states later in the week.
The unseasonable temperatures are powered by a robust atmospheric 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 over a large portion of North America, trapping warm air near the surface. As air sinks through the atmosphere, it compresses and heats further, allowing unusually warm temperatures to build.
