Prolonged Chill Grips Canada as America Sees Warmest Christmas Ever.
A prolonged deep freeze has enveloped a severe and lengthy Arctic outbreak, with readings persisting between -20C and -40C 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.
Enduring Chill of Extreme Cold
In addition, the locales of Mayo and Dawson suffered through over two straight weeks of nights below -40C, with the temperature in Mayo bottoming out at -50.4 degrees Celsius earlier this week. Whitehorse also recorded 10 nights when the cold dipped under -30 Celsius.
The deep freeze spread farther south during the holiday season. 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.
Expected to Continue For Days to Come
The frigid conditions are predicted to linger for the foreseeable future. Authorities have cautioned about potential power failures in the Yukon over the next several days, as its energy infrastructure faces unprecedented demand from historically high electricity consumption.
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. In the coming week, forecasts indicate this cold air will pull back northward allowing more temperate air from the Pacific to sweep across the US and into parts of southern Canada.
Pronounced Disparity to American Heat
Conversely, sections of America recorded historically high temperatures for Christmas as temperatures soared about 15-30C above the seasonal average. Across wide regions, the atmosphere was more akin to late spring than late December.
Several states set Christmas Day temperature records. The capital of Oklahoma soared to 25C on Christmas Day, exceeding the old record of 22C from 1982. Urban centers like Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte, North Carolina were also among those that recorded temperatures above 25C.
High-Pressure System Drives the Heat
Unseasonable heat is predicted to persist on December 26th and into the weekend, with abnormal warmth projected to move through the American Southeast soon.
This heat is being driven by a strong upper-level ridge reaching from the arid southwest across the continent, creating a heat-dome effect. 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, fostering the buildup of exceptional warmth.
