🔗 Share this article Prolonged Chill Tightens Hold on the Great White North as United States Experiences Hottest Christmas Ever. A prolonged deep freeze has enveloped an intense and prolonged cold spell, with temperatures hovering in the minus 20 to minus 40 Celsius range for weeks. This week, the Yukon community of Braeburn saw the mercury drop to -55.7C, its coldest December temperature since 1975. Prolonged Freeze of Extreme Cold Meanwhile, Mayo and Dawson endured 16 consecutive nights colder than minus 40 degrees, with the temperature in Mayo bottoming out at -50.4 degrees Celsius on Monday. The capital, Whitehorse, likewise saw a series of ten nights when readings fell to minus 30 degrees or lower. The deep freeze spread farther 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, including Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec. Likely to Linger For Days to Come The severe cold is forecast to persist for the foreseeable future. Officials have warned that the Yukon could face electricity outages over the next several days, as its energy infrastructure faces unprecedented demand from peak power usage levels. This extended freeze is the result of the Arctic vortex settling 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. Stark Contrast to American Heat Meanwhile, in a dramatic contrast, areas of the United States saw their warmest Christmas Day on record as readings skyrocketed 15 to 30 degrees Celsius above normal. For numerous locations, the weather resembled a spring day in April or May instead of the heart of winter. Several states set Christmas Day temperature records. In Oklahoma, Oklahoma City hit 25C on Tuesday, surpassing the previous peak of 22C set in 1982. Urban centers like Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte, North Carolina were also among those that recorded temperatures above 25C. Atmospheric Ridge Sustains High Temperatures Warmer-than-normal conditions are forecast to last on December 26th and into the weekend, with unseasonable heat forecast to sweep across the southeastern US in the coming days. The warmth has been fuelled by a strong upper-level ridge stretching from the southwestern deserts northward and eastward, creating a heat-dome effect. This pattern establishes a broad area of high pressure across much of the continent, which holds warm air close to the ground. Descending air compresses and adiabatically warms, fostering the buildup of exceptional warmth.