By Brad Matthews The Washington Times Thursday, January 16, 2025
President-elect Donald Trump will be inaugurated Monday, and it will be freezing. The National Weather Service is expecting a high of 24 degrees, the coldest Inauguration Day since 1985.
In addition, biting winds are expected to make it feel even colder outside in Washington, D.C.
“We’re looking at winds about 15 to 20 miles per hour with gusts 25 to 30 miles per hour. When you combine that with the very cold air temperatures, that’s what’s going to cause the dangerously low wind chill values,” NWS meteorologist Brian LaSorsa told WTOP-FM.
The NWS also forecast a chance of snow in the region after 1 p.m. Sunday.
In 1985, President Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration was held indoors twice, with a public ceremony at the Capitol Rotunda and a private ceremony at the White House because the temperature at noon when the ceremony traditionally starts was only 7 degrees, according to the NWS.
The service said Jan. 20, 1985, which started with a morning low of 4 degrees below zero, was the coldest Inauguration Day in U.S. history.
Instead of a parade outdoors, an alternative event was held the next day at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland, an arena that has been demolished. The event paid tribute to 9,000 students who traveled to the area to participate in the parade, according to The New York Times.
The only other Inauguration Day with a noon temperature below freezing was Jan. 20, 2009, the first inaugural of President Barack Obama.
