🔗 Share this article Deep Freeze Envelops the Great White North as US Records Warmest Christmas on Record. A prolonged deep freeze has enveloped an intense and prolonged cold spell, with readings persisting in the minus 20 to minus 40 Celsius range for multiple weeks. A reading of -55.7 Celsius was logged in Braeburn, Yukon, on Tuesday, representing its most frigid December day since 1975. Enduring Chill of Extreme Cold Meanwhile, Mayo and Dawson endured sixteen nights in a row dipping under the minus 40 Celsius threshold, with the temperature in Mayo bottoming out at -50.4 degrees Celsius at the start of the week. The capital, Whitehorse, likewise saw 10 nights when temperatures dropped below -30C. The deep freeze spread farther south through Christmas week. Christmas night saw Edmonton's temperatures plummet below minus 28C. Boxing Day was expected to bring lows of at least -20C across many regions, including Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec. Likely to Linger Through Early January 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 the system endures record-high pressure from record-high energy demand. This extended freeze is the result of the polar vortex remaining anchored above Canadian territory through December, which funnels frigid northern air southward. Next week, the cold air mass is expected to retreat north allowing more temperate air from the Pacific to sweep across the United States and penetrate southern Canadian regions. Pronounced Disparity with US Warmth 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 rather than the end of December. Multiple states established new Christmas temperature highs. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, reached 25 degrees Celsius on Christmas, exceeding the old record of 22C from 1982. Urban centers like Austin, Dallas, 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 for the remainder of the week and beyond, with unseasonable heat forecast to sweep through the American Southeast soon. The unseasonable temperatures are powered by a strong upper-level ridge reaching from the arid southwest across the continent, creating a heat-dome effect. This pattern establishes a broad area of high pressure blanketing a significant part of the landmass, which holds warm air close to the ground. Descending air compresses and adiabatically warms, fostering the buildup of exceptional warmth.