🔗 Share this article Deep Freeze Envelops the Great White North as US Records Hottest Christmas in History. An intense cold spell has seized a severe and lengthy Arctic outbreak, with temperatures hovering between -20C and -40C for weeks. A reading of -55.7 Celsius was logged in Braeburn, Yukon, on Tuesday, its coldest December temperature in half a century. Consecutive Nights of Extreme Cold Similarly, the communities of Mayo and Dawson experienced 16 consecutive nights below -40C, with Mayo plunging to -50.4C at the start of the week. Whitehorse also recorded a series of ten nights when readings fell to minus 30 degrees or lower. This Arctic air mass pushed further southward through Christmas week. Christmas night saw Edmonton's temperatures plummet below minus 28C. The day after Christmas was forecast to deliver lows of at least -20C across many regions, from Edmonton in the west to Quebec in the east. Expected to Continue into the New Year The severe cold is forecast to persist for the foreseeable future. Officials have warned that the Yukon could face electricity outages soon, as the territory’s power grid comes under strain from record-high energy demand. The lengthy cold snap originates from the Arctic vortex settling over Canada for much of December, allowing bitter Arctic air to spill south. 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. Stark Contrast Compared to Stateside Temperatures Conversely, sections of America recorded the hottest December 25th in their history as readings skyrocketed 15 to 30 degrees Celsius above normal. Across wide regions, the atmosphere was more akin to late spring instead of the heart of winter. A number of states broke historical records for December 25th warmth. The capital of Oklahoma soared to 25C on Christmas Day, topping the prior high mark of 22 degrees established over forty years ago. Cities including Austin and Dallas, in Texas, and Charlotte, North Carolina similarly saw thermometers rise past the 25C mark. High-Pressure System Sustains High Temperatures Warmer-than-normal conditions are forecast to last through Boxing Day and the days ahead, with abnormal warmth projected to move across the southeastern US in the coming days. The warmth has been fuelled by a strong upper-level ridge extending from the desert south-west towards the north and east, creating a heat-dome effect. This pattern establishes a broad area of high pressure blanketing a significant part of the landmass, trapping warm air near the surface. As air sinks through the atmosphere, it compresses and heats further, enabling abnormally high temperatures to develop.