Prolonged Chill Grips the Great White North as America Sees Hottest Christmas Ever.
Northern Canada has been gripped by a severe and lengthy Arctic outbreak, with temperatures hovering in the minus 20 to minus 40 Celsius range for an extended duration. A reading of -55.7 Celsius was logged in Braeburn, Yukon, on Tuesday, its coldest December temperature in nearly five decades.
Prolonged Freeze in the Deep Minus Forties
Meanwhile, Mayo and Dawson endured sixteen nights in a row below -40C, with Mayo plunging to -50.4C earlier this week. Whitehorse similarly reported 10 nights when temperatures dropped below -30C.
The bitter chill extended its reach 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 across many regions, from Edmonton in the west to Quebec in the east.
Likely to Linger For Days to Come
The frigid conditions are predicted to linger into the new year. Officials have warned that the Yukon could face electricity outages in the coming days, as the system endures record-high pressure from peak power usage levels.
The lengthy cold snap originates from the polar vortex remaining anchored above Canadian territory through December, which funnels frigid northern air southward. Next week, the cold air mass is expected to retreat north allowing more temperate air from the Pacific to sweep across the US and into parts of southern Canada.
Stark Contrast to American Heat
Conversely, sections of America recorded historically high temperatures for Christmas as the mercury climbed roughly 15 to 30 degrees above typical averages. Across wide regions, the atmosphere was more akin to late spring than late December.
Several states set Christmas Day temperature records. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, reached 25 degrees Celsius on Christmas, exceeding the old record of 22C from 1982. Urban centers like Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte, North Carolina also logged readings above 25 degrees Celsius.
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.
The warmth has been fuelled by a robust atmospheric ridge stretching from the southwestern deserts northward and eastward, which generates a heat-dome phenomenon. This setup creates an extensive zone of high atmospheric pressure blanketing a significant part of the landmass, trapping warm air near the surface. Descending air compresses and adiabatically warms, allowing unusually warm temperatures to build.
