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A prolonged deep freeze has enveloped a severe and lengthy Arctic outbreak, with thermometers lingering in the minus 20 to minus 40 Celsius range for weeks. A reading of -55.7 Celsius was logged in Braeburn, Yukon, on Tuesday, marking its chilliest December reading in nearly five decades.

Prolonged Freeze of Extreme Cold

Similarly, the communities of Mayo and Dawson experienced over two straight weeks of nights below -40C, with Mayo plunging to -50.4C earlier this week. Whitehorse similarly reported 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.

Boxing Day was expected to bring minimum temperatures of at least minus 20C across many regions, encompassing cities from Edmonton to Quebec.

Expected to Continue For Days to Come

The frigid conditions are predicted to linger for the foreseeable future. There are warnings of possible electrical grid strain in Yukon territory in the coming days, as its energy infrastructure faces unprecedented demand from record-high energy demand.

The lengthy cold snap originates from a stationary polar vortex across the northern part of the continent this month, allowing bitter Arctic air to spill south. In the coming week, forecasts indicate this cold air will pull back northward slowly, permitting warmer Pacific winds to flow over America and reach into portions of southern Canada.

Pronounced Disparity Compared to Stateside Temperatures

In stark contrast, parts of the US experienced their warmest Christmas Day on record as the mercury climbed roughly 15 to 30 degrees above typical averages. For numerous locations, the weather resembled a spring day in April or May than late December.

Multiple states established new Christmas temperature highs. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, reached 25 degrees Celsius on Christmas, surpassing the previous peak of 22C set in 1982. Urban centers like Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte, North Carolina similarly saw thermometers rise past the 25C mark.

High-Pressure System Sustains High Temperatures

Unseasonable heat is predicted to persist for the remainder of the week and beyond, with unseasonable heat forecast to sweep into the south-eastern states later in the week.

The warmth has been fuelled by a powerful high-altitude ridge reaching from the arid southwest across the continent, establishing a classic heat-dome pattern. This pattern establishes a broad area of high pressure over a large portion of North America, trapping warm air near the surface. Sinking atmospheric air undergoes compression and additional heating, allowing unusually warm temperatures to build.