Eli5 || Why is Alberta/Saskatchewan usually colder than Anchorage, Alaska in the winters even though Alaska is nearer the arctic circle?
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Anchorage is close to the ocean. The ocean stores heat from the sun very well (it has a great thermal capacity) so the air that passes over the ocean is warmed somewhat.
Alberta and Saskachewan are landlocked areas and don’t benefit from the air being warmed by the ocean.
Anchorage is on the ocean, and because of water’s density it cools and warms more slowly. So when the air gets cold, the still warmer water helps moderate temps a little warmer.
As others have already said, Alaska gets the benefit of the ocean which moderates the temperatures. But on top of that, Alaska is pretty mountainous, and mountians will keep air masses from moving around as much. So that doubles the moderation. In Alberta/Sask/Manitoba, the weather and temperature is truely at the mercy of whatever direction the wind is going. If the wind is coming from the arctic, they will get very cold arctic air, and when the wind changes and comes up from the US, they will get warm moist air. And these changes can happen in days.
Anchorage, which is only a half hour from Alaska, has a maritime climate. The prairie provinces have a continental climate because the air, which tends to blow from west to east, gets really cold blowing over 100s of miles of cold ground. Seattle is north of all but a tiny bit of Minnesota but is much warmer because of this. Nothern Europe is warmed by the Gulf Stream and other currents.
Because latitude is not the only determination of how cold a place can get. Proximity to bodies of water is another factor (and probably the main factor for your example), elevation is a factor, wind/weather direction pattern is another factor, etc
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