Winter 2025-26’s first period has been truly remarkable for extreme cold, warmth then flip back to cold or very cold.
Within the wilds of the Northwest corner of North America, December and first half of January has displayed true ‘old fashioned’ winter.
December
Away from Alaska and Canada’s Yukon and Northwest Territories, there was a dramatic flip across Canada and Lower 48 from cold or very cold December to warm or record warm first half to January 2026.
1st half of 25-26 winter…
It was a cold December for most of Canada
Tweet from Patrick Duplessis
For once, December 2025 was a cold month across most of Canada. Repeated events of extreme cold in Yukon brought monthly temperatures more than 13° below normal! Coldest December since 1980 for Whitehorse and Old Crow, and since 2013 for Yellowknife.
Braeburn, Yukon Hits -55.7C!
Tweet from Thierry Goose
A look back at the record cold of December in the Yukon. In addition to the lowest Dec. temperature in Canada since 1975 [-55.7°C Braeburn], most of Yukon recorded a very cold month. Faro, 2nd coldest Whitehorse, 3rd coldest Mayo, 5th coldest Dawson City, 6th coldest.
Some notables according to The Weather Network
- Mayo recording 16 consecutive nights below -40°C, with a low of -50.4°C on Monday.
- Dawson also seeing 16 consecutive nights below -40°C.
- Whitehorse enduring 10 nights below -30°C.
- Mayo experiencing 12 days with an average temperature below -40°C since Dec. 9.
Tweet by Extreme Temperatures Around The World
Cold December 2025 in Alaska and the Yukon Territory Yukon:Coldest December since 1980,9ºC below the 1991-2020 baseline average Coldest any month since Jan 1996 Alaska:Also coldest December of the millennium. But no extreme lows fell Graphy courtesy ERA5,Map Rick Thoman (AK)
As Arctic Canada stepped into 2026, a quite stunning contrast developed between Yukon and Nunavut.
FAIRBANKS: 8th Coldest December!
Fairbanks has just witnessed it’s 8th coldest December and coldest since 1980. Also it’s 4th coldest 1st December through 5th January period on record and coldest such period since all the way back to 1965.
11 consecutive lows at or below -40F (15th longest stretch and longest since 2009) and as of 17th January a total of 21 days at or below -40 marking the most in 55 years.
Coldest maximum on minimum in Fairbanks occurred on the 4th January at -46F (coldest in at least 30 years) and -50F (coldest since Feb 2024).
The below plot created by Eric J. Drewitz shows Fairbanks high temps for the last 30 years.
There’s been 33 consecutive low temps at or below -15F, 4th longest since 1966.
Fairbanks shivered through an astonishing 32 straight days without reaching 0F (-18C), making it the longest such stretch in 108 years and 2nd only to a 40 day stretch back in the 1917-18 winter.
On 14th January, Fairbanks Intl Apt hit -48F marking the 21st temperature at or below -40 of the season so far. While there’s still plenty of winter remaining, that’s the most in 55 years or since winter 1970-71. The all-time record is 37 days recorded back in the 1964-65 winter.
While Fairbanks was cold, across at Chicken near to the Yukon border it was well and truly ‘Frozen Chicken’.
3 straight nights below -60F with 4 days no warmer than -48F.
JUNEAU: Snowiest December On Record & 2nd of All-Time!
Tweet by Thierry Goose
In December, 82″/208.3 cm of snow fell in the State capital, an all-time record for December and the 2nd snowiest month since records began in 1936!
46.8″/118.9 cm fell in 4 days (Dec. 27-30) Max snow depth: 50″/127 cm
Record Warm Christmas & Start To 2026 For Lower 48!
While it was extremely cold up in Alaska and Yukon, it was exceptionally mild across the Lower 48 in fact record warm for many through Christmas.
The United States experienced its hottest Christmas Day on record in terms of national average, with numerous cities setting individual daily high-temperature records.
Key record-setting high temperatures recorded on December 25, 2025, included:
- Childress, Texas: 87°F (
30.6∘C), breaking the previous record of
77∘F set in 1971.
- Denver, Colorado: 71°F (
21.7∘C).
- Charlotte, North Carolina: 79°F (
26.1∘C).
- Casper, Wyoming: 61°F (
16.1∘C), marking five consecutive days of record highs.
- Salt Lake City, Utah: 60°F (
15.6∘C), breaking the 1955 record of
59∘F.
Summary of 2025 Christmas Heat Wave:
- National Average: The contiguous U.S. recorded an average high of
57.9∘F and an average low of
36.6∘F, both approximately
3∘F higher than previous records.
- Regional Impact: Widespread record-breaking temperatures occurred from California to the Mississippi River, with many locations in the Plains, South, and Southeast experiencing temperatures 15-35°F above normal.
- Record Consistency: In addition to new daily highs, dozens of locations saw their warmest Christmas Day ever, including Oklahoma City, Albuquerque, Tulsa, and El Paso
22-29 December temp anomaly
While a big storm slammed California with 20+ inch rains along the coastal range and feet of snow in the Sierra, the astonishing warmth rolled on further east between Christmas and New Year albeit it turned colder in the Northeast around New Year.
Tweet from Extreme Temperatures Around the World 26/12.
UNPRECEDENTED Tons of stations had a night Minimum ABOVE JULY AVERAGE and tomorrow will freeze INSANE MINIMUMS TEMPERATURES
70 OK
68 AR
68 MO
67 IL
66 KS
66 TN
66 KY
66 IN
28/12: Records locally broken by 10F+,some above those of November However,most will drop before midnight.
94F in Texas Records smashed by absurd margins up to 5F across several States December records KS 82 Coffeyville 81 Independence 79 Parsons LA 88 Green Canyon TN 78 Chattanooga etc
86 at Tulsa is SIX DEGREES ABOVE ITS DECEMBER RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE Thousands and Thousands of recordss have been falling since day #1 in over 2 dozens of US States, several times more than any other month in history.
29/12: 89F Oklahoma, 79F Missouri, 78F Illinois (1F off state Dec record).
4/1: 94F McAllen, TX with minimums of 55F CO, 46F MT & WY.
6/1: More TX 90s with minimums in 70s TX & LA.
9/1: Gulf Oil Platforms with minimums up to 79F!
10/1: Tweet from Extreme Temperatures Around the World
HISTORIC JANUARY HEAT Dozens of January high Temperature records broken or tied in several States including New Orleans. LA 85 Gonzalez 83 New Orleans GA 84 Moody 83 Homerville 83 Claxton AL 83 Ft Rucker 83 Cairns and dozens more
11/1: 89F Ochopee, FL.
13/1: HISTORIC EVENT Hundreds of monthly records of Highest Minimums smashed with margins up to 10F WA 52 Seattle MT 53 Malmstrom 51 Golf 50 Big Timber 49 Billings,Lewiston SD 49 Rapid City 48 Spearfish 46 Sturgis,Ellsworth 45 Huron,Wagner 44 Chamberlain,Philip 43 Custer
Minimums in North Dakota and Canada Some stations broke by 10/12F the record of warmest January night Mins up to 53 in South Dakota TYPICAL OF JUNE One of the most extreme events ever seen in North America. ND 41 Beach B.,Bowman 39 Bismarck,Hattinger,Kilder,Mandam 38 Grand Forks.
15/1: HISTORIC HEAT IN CANADA January records smashed in Alberta: 19.5C Clarehoslm 18.2C Warner 18.C Cross Drain 18.0C Aden 17.8C Milk River 17.8C Pinhorn 17.7C Enchant 17.7C Vauxhall — 17.4C Calgary 0.2C from Record
Cold Wave To End January Starting With FL Snow!
The contrast ending December 2025 with January 2026 couldn’t be much starker.
Final week of January as per ECMWF ensemble.
From daytime upper 80s and nighttime 70s, Florida’s Panhandle witnesses measurable snow for the first time in history.
A series of arctic waves shall sweep southeastwards through the final 7-10 days with spells of heavy snows.
GFS is going bonkers in the South!
Total snowfall through 30th.
How cold?
Check out these latest meteograms for a selection of US cities.
FEATURED IMAGE CREDIT: Weatherbell
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