An intense and prolonged freezing spell has gripped Northern Canada. Temperatures had been hovering between -20°C and -40°C for weeks. On Tuesday, 23 December, Braeburn in the Yukon recorded -55.7°C. The reading was the coldest recorded there during the last 5 decades since 1975.
Meantime, both Mayo and Dawson endured 16 consecutive nights below -40°C. Mayo plunged to -50.4°C on Monday, 22 December. Whitehorse also recorded 10 consecutive nights of temperatures dropping below -30°C.
The deep freeze that began in the north spread farther south over the festive period. On Christmas Day, overnight temperatures in Edmonton fell below -28°C. Boxing Day registered 20°C across many regions. This included Edmonton, Montreal, and Ottawa, besides Quebec.
A severe cold is forecast to persist into the new year. Energy officials have warned that the Yukon could face electricity outages in the days to come. The delay was due to the territory’s power grid being expected to come under strain from record-high energy demand.
The polar vortex, which remained anchored over Canada for much of December, has caused this prolonged chill. This was allowing bitter Arctic air to spill southwards. Next week, the cold air mass is expected to retreat northwards gradually. This change would allow milder Pacific air to move into parts of southern Canada.
In stark contrast, parts of neighbouring the US experienced their warmest Christmas Day on record, with temperatures soaring 15-30°C above the seasonal average. In the US, in many areas, conditions felt more typical of the mid-year months of April or May than late December.
Although on a warmer spectrum, several states also set Christmas Day records. Oklahoma City in Oklahoma had hit 25°C on Tuesday, 23 December. This surpassed the previous peak of 22°C, which was set a little over 40 years ago in 1982. US cities that included Austin & Dallas in Texas, besides Charlotte in North Carolina, were among the many cities that recorded temperatures above 25°C.
