Arctic Blast Envelops the Great White North as America Sees Hottest Christmas Ever.
Northern Canada has been gripped by a severe and lengthy Arctic outbreak, with thermometers lingering in the minus 20 to minus 40 Celsius range for multiple weeks. On Tuesday, Braeburn in the Yukon recorded -55.7C, its coldest December temperature in half a century.
Prolonged Freeze in the Deep Minus Forties
In addition, the locales of Mayo and Dawson suffered through 16 consecutive nights dipping under the minus 40 Celsius threshold, with the temperature in Mayo bottoming out at -50.4 degrees Celsius on Monday. Whitehorse also recorded a series of ten 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 minimum temperatures of at least minus 20C across many regions, from Edmonton in the west to Quebec in the east.
Expected to Continue into the New Year
The frigid conditions are predicted to linger through the start of January. There are warnings of possible electrical grid strain in Yukon territory soon, as its energy infrastructure faces unprecedented demand from peak power usage levels.
The prolonged chill has been caused by a stationary polar vortex over Canada for much of December, enabling a surge of icy Arctic winds to descend. The frigid dome is projected to gradually withdraw north allowing more temperate air from the Pacific to sweep across America and reach into portions of southern Canada.
Stark Contrast to American Heat
Meanwhile, in a dramatic contrast, areas of the United States saw the hottest December 25th in their history as the mercury climbed roughly 15 to 30 degrees above typical averages. Across wide regions, the atmosphere was more akin to late spring instead of the heart of winter.
Multiple states established new Christmas temperature highs. The capital of Oklahoma soared to 25C on Christmas Day, surpassing the previous peak of 22C set in 1982. Metropolitan areas such as Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte similarly saw thermometers rise past the 25C mark.
Heat-Dome Effect Drives the Heat
Above-average warmth is expected to continue for the remainder of the week and beyond, with abnormal warmth projected to move through the American Southeast soon.
This heat is being driven by a powerful high-altitude ridge stretching from the southwestern deserts northward and eastward, creating a heat-dome effect. Such a configuration results in a widespread high-pressure system blanketing a significant part of the landmass, which holds warm air close to the ground. Sinking atmospheric air undergoes compression and additional heating, enabling abnormally high temperatures to develop.
