An intense cold spell has seized a bitter and extended period of frigid weather, with thermometers lingering between -20C and -40C for an extended duration. This week, the Yukon community of Braeburn saw the mercury drop to -55.7C, its coldest December temperature in half a century.
Similarly, the communities of Mayo and Dawson experienced 16 consecutive nights dipping under the minus 40 Celsius threshold, with Mayo plunging to -50.4C at the start of the week. Whitehorse similarly reported ten separate nights when readings fell to minus 30 degrees or lower.
The bitter chill extended its reach south during the holiday season. On Christmas Day, overnight temperatures in Edmonton fell below -28C.
The day after Christmas was forecast to deliver readings no higher than -20 Celsius through a wide swath, from Edmonton in the west to Quebec in the east.
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 the territory’s power grid comes under strain from historically high electricity consumption.
The prolonged chill has been caused by the Arctic vortex settling 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.
Conversely, sections of America recorded the hottest December 25th in their history as readings skyrocketed 15 to 30 degrees Celsius above normal. In many areas, conditions felt more typical of April or May instead of the heart of winter.
Several states set Christmas Day temperature records. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, reached 25 degrees Celsius on Christmas, exceeding the old record of 22C from 1982. Metropolitan areas such as Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte were also among those that recorded temperatures above 25C.
Warmer-than-normal conditions are forecast to last for the remainder of the week and beyond, with unseasonable heat forecast to sweep across the southeastern US in the coming days.
The unseasonable temperatures are powered by a powerful high-altitude ridge stretching from the southwestern deserts northward and eastward, establishing a classic heat-dome pattern. 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, fostering the buildup of exceptional warmth.
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