đŸ”— Share this article Deep Freeze Envelops Canada as America Sees Hottest Christmas on Record. A prolonged deep freeze has enveloped a bitter and extended period of frigid weather, with temperatures hovering between -20C and -40C for an extended duration. A reading of -55.7 Celsius was logged in Braeburn, Yukon, on Tuesday, representing its most frigid December day in half a century. Enduring Chill in the Deep Minus Forties In addition, the locales of Mayo and Dawson suffered through sixteen nights in a row dipping under the minus 40 Celsius threshold, with Mayo experiencing a low of -50.4C on Monday. Whitehorse also recorded 10 nights when temperatures dropped below -30C. This Arctic air mass pushed further southward 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. Expected to Continue For Days to Come The frigid conditions are predicted to linger for the foreseeable future. Authorities have cautioned about potential power failures in the Yukon in the coming days, as its energy infrastructure faces unprecedented demand from peak power usage levels. The lengthy cold snap originates from a stationary polar vortex over Canada for much of December, enabling a surge of icy Arctic winds to descend. In the coming week, forecasts indicate this cold air will pull back northward gradually, enabling milder Pacific air to move across America and reach into portions of southern Canada. Stark Contrast with US Warmth Conversely, sections of America recorded historically high temperatures for Christmas as the mercury climbed roughly 15 to 30 degrees above typical averages. In many areas, conditions felt more typical of April or May instead of the heart of winter. A number of states broke historical records for December 25th warmth. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, reached 25 degrees Celsius on Christmas, topping the prior high mark of 22 degrees established over forty years ago. Cities including Austin and Dallas, in Texas, and Charlotte, North Carolina were also among those that recorded temperatures above 25C. Atmospheric Ridge Sustains High Temperatures Above-average warmth is expected to continue on December 26th and into the weekend, with abnormal warmth projected to move into the south-eastern states later in the week. 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 over a large portion of North America, effectively capping warm air at lower altitudes. Descending air compresses and adiabatically warms, enabling abnormally high temperatures to develop.