🔗 Share this article Arctic Blast Grips Canada as America Sees Warmest Christmas Ever. Northern Canada has been gripped by an intense and prolonged cold spell, with temperatures hovering between -20C and -40C for weeks. On Tuesday, Braeburn in the Yukon recorded -55.7C, its coldest December temperature in half a century. Prolonged Freeze of Extreme Cold In addition, the locales of Mayo and Dawson suffered through 16 consecutive nights colder than minus 40 degrees, with the temperature in Mayo bottoming out at -50.4 degrees Celsius on Monday. Whitehorse similarly reported a series of ten nights when the cold dipped under -30 Celsius. The deep freeze spread farther south over the festive period. Christmas night saw Edmonton's temperatures plummet below minus 28C. The day after Christmas was forecast to deliver lows of at least -20C in numerous areas, encompassing cities from Edmonton to Quebec. Expected to Continue Through Early January This harsh winter weather is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. There are warnings of possible electrical grid strain in Yukon territory soon, as its energy infrastructure faces unprecedented demand from historically high electricity consumption. The lengthy cold snap originates from a stationary polar vortex over Canada for much of December, which funnels frigid northern air southward. Next week, the cold air mass is expected to retreat north slowly, permitting warmer Pacific winds to flow over the United States and penetrate southern Canadian regions. Pronounced Disparity with US Warmth In stark contrast, parts of the US experienced 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 than late December. Several states set Christmas Day temperature records. In Oklahoma, Oklahoma City hit 25C on Tuesday, surpassing the previous peak of 22C set in 1982. Metropolitan areas such as Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte also logged readings above 25 degrees Celsius. Atmospheric Ridge Fuels Warmth Warmer-than-normal conditions are forecast to last through Boxing Day and the days ahead, with atypical high temperatures expected to spread into the south-eastern states later in the week. The unseasonable temperatures are powered by a strong upper-level ridge stretching from the southwestern deserts northward and eastward, creating a heat-dome effect. This setup creates an extensive zone of high atmospheric pressure over a large portion of North America, trapping warm air near the surface. Descending air compresses and adiabatically warms, allowing unusually warm temperatures to build.