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Northern Canada has been gripped by a severe and lengthy Arctic outbreak, with temperatures hovering from 20 to 40 degrees below zero for multiple weeks. A reading of -55.7 Celsius was logged in Braeburn, Yukon, on Tuesday, marking its chilliest December reading in half a century.

Prolonged Freeze of Extreme Cold

Similarly, the communities of Mayo and Dawson experienced sixteen nights in a row below -40C, with the temperature in Mayo bottoming out at -50.4 degrees Celsius at the start of the week. Whitehorse also recorded ten separate nights when the cold dipped under -30 Celsius.

The deep freeze spread farther south through Christmas week. On Christmas Day, overnight temperatures in Edmonton fell below -28C.

Boxing Day was expected to bring readings no higher than -20 Celsius in numerous areas, from Edmonton in the west to Quebec in the east.

Likely to Linger into the New Year

The frigid conditions are predicted to linger into the new year. Authorities have cautioned about potential power failures in the Yukon over the next several days, as the territory’s power grid comes under strain 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, allowing bitter Arctic air to spill south. The frigid dome is projected to gradually withdraw north gradually, enabling milder Pacific air to move across America and reach into portions of southern Canada.

Dramatic Difference to American Heat

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. Across wide regions, the atmosphere was more akin to late spring instead of the heart of winter.

Several states set Christmas Day temperature records. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, reached 25 degrees Celsius on Christmas, exceeding the old record of 22C from 1982. Metropolitan areas such as Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte also logged readings above 25 degrees Celsius.

Atmospheric Ridge Sustains High Temperatures

Above-average warmth is expected to continue on December 26th and into the weekend, with abnormal warmth projected to move across the southeastern US in the coming days.

The warmth has been fuelled by a strong upper-level ridge extending from the desert south-west towards the north and east, establishing a classic heat-dome pattern. This pattern establishes a broad area of high pressure over a large portion of North America, effectively capping warm air at lower altitudes. As air sinks through the atmosphere, it compresses and heats further, enabling abnormally high temperatures to develop.