Prolonged Chill Envelops the Great White North as America Sees Hottest Christmas Ever.
Northern Canada has been gripped by an intense and prolonged cold spell, with thermometers lingering in the minus 20 to minus 40 Celsius range for an extended duration. This week, the Yukon community of Braeburn saw the mercury drop to -55.7C, its coldest December temperature in nearly five decades.
Prolonged Freeze in the Deep Minus Forties
In addition, the locales of Mayo and Dawson suffered through sixteen nights in a row colder than minus 40 degrees, with Mayo plunging to -50.4C earlier this week. Whitehorse also recorded 10 nights when readings fell to minus 30 degrees or lower.
The bitter chill extended its reach south over the festive period. In Edmonton, the Christmas overnight low dipped under -28 degrees Celsius.
The day after Christmas was forecast to deliver lows of at least -20C through a wide swath, encompassing cities from Edmonton to Quebec.
Expected to Continue For Days to Come
The severe cold is forecast to persist into the new year. There are warnings of possible electrical grid strain in Yukon territory soon, as the territory’s power grid comes under strain from peak power usage levels.
The lengthy cold snap originates from the polar vortex remaining anchored across the northern part of the continent this month, which funnels frigid northern air southward. The frigid dome is projected to gradually withdraw north allowing more temperate air from the Pacific to sweep across the US and into parts of southern Canada.
Dramatic Difference Compared to Stateside Temperatures
Conversely, sections of America recorded historically high temperatures for Christmas as temperatures soared about 15-30C above the seasonal average. For numerous locations, the weather resembled a spring day in April or May rather than the end of December.
A number of states broke historical records for December 25th warmth. 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 similarly saw thermometers rise past the 25C mark.
Heat-Dome Effect Sustains High Temperatures
Warmer-than-normal conditions are forecast to last for the remainder of the week and beyond, with atypical high temperatures expected to spread into the south-eastern states later in the week.
This heat is being driven by a robust atmospheric ridge extending from the desert south-west towards the north and east, 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, fostering the buildup of exceptional warmth.
