🔗 Share this article

Northern Canada has been gripped by a bitter and extended period of frigid weather, with temperatures hovering from 20 to 40 degrees below zero for an extended duration. This week, the Yukon community of Braeburn saw the mercury drop to -55.7C, representing its most frigid December day in nearly five decades.

Enduring Chill Below -40C

In addition, the locales of Mayo and Dawson suffered through sixteen nights in a row below -40C, with Mayo experiencing a low of -50.4C at the start of the week. Whitehorse similarly reported ten separate nights when the cold dipped under -30 Celsius.

The bitter chill extended its reach south during the holiday season. Christmas night saw Edmonton's temperatures plummet below minus 28C.

December 26th was anticipated to usher in readings no higher than -20 Celsius in numerous areas, encompassing cities from Edmonton to Quebec.

Expected to Continue into the New Year

This harsh winter weather is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. Officials have warned that the Yukon could face electricity outages 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 the Arctic vortex settling above Canadian territory through December, allowing bitter Arctic air to spill south. The frigid dome is projected to gradually withdraw north slowly, permitting warmer Pacific winds to flow over America and reach into portions of southern Canada.

Pronounced Disparity with US Warmth

In stark contrast, parts of the US experienced historically high temperatures for Christmas 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 rather than the end of December.

Several states set Christmas Day temperature records. The capital of Oklahoma soared to 25C on Christmas Day, surpassing the previous peak of 22C set in 1982. Cities including Austin and Dallas, in Texas, and Charlotte, North Carolina were also among those that recorded temperatures above 25C.

Heat-Dome Effect Sustains High Temperatures

Above-average warmth is expected to continue on December 26th and into the weekend, with atypical high temperatures expected to spread across the southeastern US in the coming days.

The warmth has been fuelled by a robust atmospheric ridge extending from the desert south-west towards the north and east, which generates a heat-dome phenomenon. 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.