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A prolonged deep freeze has enveloped a severe and lengthy Arctic outbreak, with readings persisting in the minus 20 to minus 40 Celsius range for multiple weeks. On Tuesday, Braeburn in the Yukon recorded -55.7C, representing its most frigid December day in nearly five decades.

Enduring Chill of Extreme Cold

In addition, the locales of Mayo and Dawson suffered through over two straight weeks of nights below -40C, with Mayo experiencing a low of -50.4C earlier this week. Whitehorse also recorded ten separate nights when readings fell to minus 30 degrees or lower.

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

The day after Christmas was forecast to deliver readings no higher than -20 Celsius in numerous areas, including Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec.

Likely to Linger into the New Year

The frigid conditions are predicted to linger into the new year. There are warnings of possible electrical grid strain in Yukon territory soon, as the territory’s power grid comes under strain from record-high energy demand.

The lengthy cold snap originates from a stationary polar vortex across the northern part of the continent this month, 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 US and into parts of southern Canada.

Pronounced Disparity Compared to Stateside Temperatures

Meanwhile, in a dramatic contrast, areas of the United States saw historically high temperatures for Christmas as temperatures soared about 15-30C above the seasonal average. For numerous locations, the weather resembled a spring day in April or May rather than the end of December.

Multiple states established new Christmas temperature highs. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, reached 25 degrees Celsius on Christmas, topping the prior high mark of 22 degrees established over forty years ago. Cities including Austin and Dallas, in Texas, and Charlotte, North Carolina were also among those that recorded temperatures above 25C.

Atmospheric Ridge Sustains High Temperatures

Above-average warmth is expected to continue on December 26th and into the weekend, with unseasonable heat forecast to sweep through the American Southeast soon.

The warmth has been fuelled by a strong upper-level ridge reaching from the arid southwest across the continent, creating a heat-dome effect. This setup creates an extensive zone of high atmospheric 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, allowing unusually warm temperatures to build.