🔗 Share this article Deep Freeze Grips Canada as United States Experiences Hottest Christmas Ever. A prolonged deep freeze has enveloped a severe and lengthy Arctic outbreak, with thermometers lingering in the minus 20 to minus 40 Celsius range for multiple weeks. On Tuesday, Braeburn in the Yukon recorded -55.7C, marking its chilliest December reading in half a century. Prolonged Freeze in the Deep Minus Forties Meanwhile, Mayo and Dawson endured sixteen nights in a row colder than minus 40 degrees, with the temperature in Mayo bottoming out at -50.4 degrees Celsius earlier this week. Whitehorse also recorded ten separate nights when the cold dipped under -30 Celsius. The bitter chill extended its reach south through Christmas week. In Edmonton, the Christmas overnight low dipped under -28 degrees Celsius. The day after Christmas was forecast to deliver minimum temperatures of at least minus 20C in numerous areas, including Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec. Expected to Continue For Days to Come The severe cold is forecast to persist into the new year. 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 a stationary polar vortex across the northern part of the continent this month, enabling a surge of icy Arctic winds to descend. The frigid dome is projected to gradually withdraw north slowly, permitting warmer Pacific winds to flow over the US and into parts of southern Canada. Pronounced Disparity to American Heat Conversely, sections of America recorded the hottest December 25th in their history as temperatures soared about 15-30C above the seasonal average. 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. In Oklahoma, Oklahoma City hit 25C on Tuesday, topping the prior high mark of 22 degrees established over forty years ago. Urban centers like Austin, Dallas, and Charlotte, North Carolina also logged readings above 25 degrees Celsius. Heat-Dome Effect Drives the Heat Above-average warmth is expected to continue for the remainder of the week and beyond, with unseasonable heat forecast to sweep into the south-eastern states later in the week. The warmth has been fuelled by a strong upper-level ridge stretching from the southwestern deserts northward and eastward, establishing a classic heat-dome pattern. This setup creates an extensive zone of high atmospheric pressure blanketing a significant part of the landmass, effectively capping warm air at lower altitudes. Descending air compresses and adiabatically warms, allowing unusually warm temperatures to build.