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Northern Canada has been gripped by an intense and prolonged cold spell, with temperatures hovering between -20C and -40C for an extended duration. On Tuesday, Braeburn in the Yukon recorded -55.7C, its coldest December temperature since 1975.

Consecutive Nights of Extreme Cold

In addition, the locales of Mayo and Dawson suffered through over two straight weeks of nights colder than minus 40 degrees, with Mayo plunging to -50.4C earlier this week. The capital, Whitehorse, likewise saw 10 nights when the cold dipped under -30 Celsius.

The deep freeze spread farther south over the festive period. On Christmas Day, overnight temperatures in Edmonton fell below -28C.

Boxing Day was expected to bring minimum temperatures of at least minus 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 for the foreseeable future. Officials have warned that the Yukon could face electricity outages over the next several days, as its energy infrastructure faces unprecedented demand from historically high electricity consumption.

The prolonged chill has been caused by a stationary polar vortex across the northern part of the continent this month, which funnels frigid northern air southward. In the coming week, forecasts indicate this cold air will pull back northward gradually, enabling milder Pacific air to move across the US and into parts of southern Canada.

Stark Contrast with US Warmth

Conversely, sections of America recorded historically high temperatures for Christmas as readings skyrocketed 15 to 30 degrees Celsius above normal. Across wide regions, the atmosphere was more akin to late spring instead of the heart of winter.

Multiple states established new Christmas temperature highs. The capital of Oklahoma soared to 25C on Christmas Day, surpassing the previous peak of 22C set in 1982. Metropolitan areas such as Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte similarly saw thermometers rise past the 25C mark.

Atmospheric Ridge Drives the Heat

Warmer-than-normal conditions are forecast to last for the remainder of the week and beyond, with abnormal warmth projected to move through the American Southeast soon.

The unseasonable temperatures are powered by a powerful high-altitude 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, effectively capping warm air at lower altitudes. Descending air compresses and adiabatically warms, enabling abnormally high temperatures to develop.