Trump’s Second Inauguration to Be One of the Coldest Ever

The ceremony is moving indoors to the Capitol Rotunda

It was so cold on January 21, 1985 that US President Ronald Reagan’s swearing-in ceremony was moved indoors to the Capitol Rotunda in Washington DC. — It was so cold on January 21, 1985 that US President Ronald Reagan’s swearing-in ceremony was moved indoors to the Capitol Rotunda in Washington DC.
Photographer: CONSOLIDATED NEWS PICTURES/AFP/Getty Images

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By Phil Kuntz

January 17, 2025 at 4:00 PM UTC

Updated on

January 17, 2025 at 4:45 PM UTC

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A blast of extreme cold is forecast to sweep the central US this weekend before spreading to the East Coast. Monday’s presidential inauguration promises to be one of the coldest on record, with temperatures in Washington forecast to be 22F (-6C), according to the National Weather Service. This prompted US officials to move the ceremony indoors to the Capitol Rotunda.

On Jan. 21, 1985, Ronald Reagan’s second inaugural ceremony was moved indoors, with the thermometer hitting 7F at noon that day. The next coldest January swearing-in was John F. Kennedy’s at 22F in 1961.