Weather tracker: Deep freeze grips Canada as US records warmest Christmas | Canada
Northern Canada has been hit by an intense and prolonged cold snap, with temperatures ranging between -20C and -40C for weeks. On Tuesday, Braeburn in the Yukon recorded -55.7C, the coldest December temperature since 1975.
Mayo and Dawson, meanwhile, had 16 consecutive nights below -40C, with Mayo dropping to -50.4C on Monday. Whitehorse also recorded 10 nights where temperatures dropped below -30C.
The deep freeze spread southwards during the festive period. On Christmas Day, overnight temperatures dropped below -28C in Edmonton, while Boxing Day was expected to bring low temperatures of at least -20C to many areas, including Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec.
Severe cold weather is expected to continue into the new year. Yukon could face power outages in the coming days as the territory’s power grid is under pressure from record energy demand, officials have warned.
The prolonged cold is due to the polar vortex remaining anchored over Canada for much of December, causing bitter Arctic air to spread south. Over the next week, the cold air mass is expected to gradually retreat northward, allowing milder Pacific air to move across the United States and into southern parts of Canada.
On the contrary, parts of the US experienced the hottest Christmas Day on record, with temperatures rising approximately 15-30C above the seasonal average. In many areas, conditions were more typical of April or May than late December.
Many states broke Christmas Day temperature records. In Oklahoma, Oklahoma City reached 25C on Tuesday, surpassing the previous peak of 22C set in 1982. Cities including Austin and Dallas in Texas and Charlotte, North Carolina, were also among those recording temperatures above 25C.
Above-average temperatures are expected to continue through Boxing Day and into the coming days; Unseasonal temperature forecasts will extend to the southeastern states later in the week.
The heat is fueled by a strong upper-level ridge extending north and east from the desert southwest, creating a heat dome effect. This pattern creates a broad high-pressure area across much of the continent, trapping warm air near the surface. As air moves further into the atmosphere, it compresses and becomes hotter, allowing unusually high temperatures to occur.
