Arctic air is expected to move across much of the United States late this week and into next week, bringing dangerously low temperatures and severe wind chills.
The National Weather Service warned that the frigid air will move through the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains on Friday, head toward the Gulf Coast and Midwest by Saturday night, and reach the East Coast by Sunday night.
By Monday, more than 300 million Americans are expected to experience temperatures below average for this time of year, according to Fox Weather.
President Donald Trump’s inauguration, scheduled for Monday in Washington, D.C., is shaping up to be the coldest inauguration day in nearly 40 years.
Folks in the Washington, D.C., area may want to channel Bernie Sanders and the hot topic of Inauguration Mittens on Monday night. That’s because temperatures are expected to drop significantly Sunday night, with daytime temperatures expected to be in the 10s to low 20s Fahrenheit on Monday. Expected highs are around 24 °F (-4.4 °C), with wind chills between -5 °F (-20 °C) and 15 °F (-9 °C).
AccuWeather meteorologists say it could be the coldest inauguration day on record since 1985, when President Ronald Reagan was sworn in for his second term, with temperatures at just 7 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Weather Service. (minus 13.8 degrees).
For comparison, the temperature at Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021 was 42°F (5.5°C), the temperature at Donald Trump’s first inauguration in 2017 was 48°F (8.8°C), and the temperature at President Donald Trump’s inauguration in 2013 was 48°F (8.8°C). -Obama’s inauguration was 45°F (7.2°C). President Obama’s first inauguration in 2009 was noticeably cold at 28 degrees Celsius (-2.2 degrees Celsius).
According to the National Weather Service, from 1989 to 2009, temperatures on Inauguration Day ranged from 34 degrees Celsius (1.1 degrees Celsius) to 52 degrees Celsius (11.1 degrees Celsius).
The forecast calls for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to be the coldest weather in the Washington, D.C., area for possibly the past five years, according to the National Weather Service.
Other regions, including the Rocky Mountains, northern Plains and upper Midwest, could see wind chill factors drop to below -30 degrees (-34 degrees) from Saturday into Tuesday, with snow expected to fall, according to the National Weather Service. It is expected.
Dangerous cold air is expected to continue along the Gulf Coast and into the Southeast through much of next week, although freezing temperatures could reach the southern Plains and Ohio Valley from Sunday night into Tuesday.
As of Thursday morning, winter storm warnings were in effect for parts of Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, with snow expected, and for Washington, D.C., Ohio, West Virginia, Baltimore, and Pennsylvania. Winter weather warnings are in effect for some parts of the country.
Dangerous weather forecasts are in place for parts of New Jersey and New York state, including New York City, with snow expected to fall in some areas Thursday afternoon.
Wind-driven temperatures could drop as low as -50 degrees (-45 degrees Celsius) in North Dakota from Saturday night into Monday morning. Idaho and Montana are bracing for this arctic front, which is expected to bring dangerously cold wind chills of -30 degrees Celsius (-34 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher along the Continental Divide Saturday night.
In Colorado, weather officials predict bitterly cold temperatures through the weekend and into Tuesday, with lows below freezing and windchill factors as low as -30°F (-34°C). Temperatures could drop as low as -10 degrees Fahrenheit in lower elevations Monday night. The low temperature in Minneapolis on Sunday was about -14°F (-25°C).
Residents in Texas, including Houston, are expected to feel the winter chill by Saturday night, with temperatures in the 30s Fahrenheit and dropping into the low 20s Fahrenheit in northern counties, weather officials said. .
