Whitehorse encountered its wettest winter ever this season, receiving over two-and-a-half times the average precipitation, according to Environment Canada. This winter in Yukon saw numerous records shattered due to unusually cold and snowy conditions. The Whitehorse airport recorded 139.8 millimetres of precipitation from December 1 to February 28, significantly higher than the seasonal norm of 52.1 millimetres for the same period. The winter ranked as the 24th coldest on record for Whitehorse since 1941, with temperatures averaging -16.9°C, 3.6 degrees below the typical mean of -13.3°C.
Meteorological winter, spanning from December 1 to the end of February, was colder than usual across most of Yukon in the 2025-2026 period due to a prolonged Arctic high-pressure system. Although no temperature records were broken over the three months, many communities experienced record-breaking low minimum temperatures on specific days. Faro set 13 low minimum temperature records in December, with a notable low of -45.6°C on December 11, the lowest since 1966. Other areas such as Burwash Landing, Kluane Lake, Carmacks, Beaver Lake, Teslin, Watson Lake, and Whitehorse also broke low minimum temperature records multiple times in December.
Some regions witnessed a wetter-than-average winter, with Dawson and Watson Lake ranking as the second wettest on record. Benoit Turcotte, a senior researcher at Yukon University, analyzed the data and highlighted a streak of 34 consecutive days with temperatures below -20°C in Whitehorse. Concerns were raised about the snowpack size and the potential for rapid melting in the spring, which could lead to property damage.
On February 28, Whitehorse had 77 centimetres of snow on the ground, compared to 49 centimetres on the same date the previous year. Turcotte emphasized the risk of property damage if the snow melts rapidly.