A cold Monday in DC? Here's Donald Trump's Inauguration Day weather forecast

Bitter cold – along with a chance of snow – is in the latest forecast for President-elect Donald Trump's Inauguration Day, which is Monday.

How cold? The temperature will likely be in the upper 20s or low 30s, with gusty winds that will make it feel even colder, under mostly cloudy skies.

Snow chances are at 30% as of Tuesday, the National Weather Service said.

While snow is not a certainty, what's certain is this inauguration will not be as mild as Trump's first inauguration in January 2017, which saw a high of 48 degrees and light rain.

Two policemen stand in front of the Capitol Building on January 20, 1961, in Washington D.C., on the foggy, snowy morning before the inauguration ceremony for US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
Two policemen stand in front of the Capitol Building on January 20, 1961, in Washington D.C., on the foggy, snowy morning before the inauguration ceremony for US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

'Impactful winter system' possible

Noting that wintry precipitation is possible on Inauguration Day, the weather service in Washington, D.C., said Tuesday that "there are still many unknowns this far out, but we will continue to monitor the potential for an impactful winter system."

What is typical inaugural weather?

The average afternoon high temperature in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20 is 45 degrees, based on weather data from 1991 to 2020, the weather service said. The average low is 30 degrees, which is usually about dawn. On average, the temperature at noon, when the oath is given, is 37 degrees.

Aerial view of the crowd gathered outside the White House to attend Franklin D. Roosevelt's 4th Inaugural speech on January 20, 1945, in Washington D.C. Light snow ended around 9 a.m. that morning, the National Weather Service said.
Aerial view of the crowd gathered outside the White House to attend Franklin D. Roosevelt's 4th Inaugural speech on January 20, 1945, in Washington D.C. Light snow ended around 9 a.m. that morning, the National Weather Service said.

'The worst weather on the face of the Earth'

Sometimes the inaugural weather gets as much attention as the ceremony itself.

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"The worst weather on the face of the Earth," said one congressman about the heavy snow, frigid temperatures and howling winds that nearly buried the inauguration of William Howard Taft in 1909.

Freakish cold ‒ with wind chills as low as 20 degrees below zero ‒ in 1985 forced President Ronald Reagan's second inauguration to be moved indoors.

A long and stormy relationship

Bad weather and Inauguration Day have had a long and stormy relationship: Miserably cold, wet conditions on Inauguration Day on March 4, 1841, even contributed to the death of one president (William Henry Harrison), who refused to wear a hat and coat while standing outside during his one-hour and 40-minute inaugural address. He caught pneumonia, possibly due to exposure that day, and died a month later.

On Jan 20, 2017; in Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk along the Inauguration Day parade route on Pennsylvania Avenue after he was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. Light rain was reported at the start of the parade, with temperatures in the mild 40s.
On Jan 20, 2017; in Washington, D.C., President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk along the Inauguration Day parade route on Pennsylvania Avenue after he was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. Light rain was reported at the start of the parade, with temperatures in the mild 40s.

Inauguration Day was moved from March 4 to Jan. 20 in the 1930s, in part, to hope for less rainy, snowy weather. (It's colder in January, of course, but the chance for rain or snow in the Washington area is less.)

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Here are the records for inaugural weather since 1937, the first January Inauguration Day, according to the National Weather Service:

Warmest: 1981. Reagan's first inauguration. Noon temperature: 55 degrees.

Coldest: 1985. Reagan's second inauguration. Noon temperature: 7 degrees. The inauguration was moved indoors.

Rainiest: 1937. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's second inauguration, when 1.77 inches of rain fell.

Snowiest: 1961. Eight inches of snow fell the night before John F. Kennedy was sworn in.

Warmest nontraditional date: Aug. 9, 1974. Gerald Ford: 89 degrees, with partly cloudy skies and hazy conditions.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Inauguration Day weather forecast: Will it snow on Trump on Monday?