Donald Trump will be sworn in as president in a different location this year — the U.S. Capitol building — as “bitterly” cold temperatures are set to hit the country’s capital city on Inauguration Day.
Trump announced the change to his plans on TruthSocial, pointing to a wind chill forecast by the National Weather Service and warnings of temperatures potentially hitting “severe record lows.”
“I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way,” he wrote. “It is dangerous conditions for the tens of thousands of law enforcement, first responders, police K9s and even horses, and hundreds of thousands of supporters that will be outside for many hours on the 20th.”
According to the National Weather Service, the temperature on Monday at noon local time could hit 22 F or -6 C, and could hit as low as -6 F or -21 C that evening.
Global News chief meteorologist Anthony Farnell said the “Arctic blast” that’s heading to the capital is a “lobe” of the polar vortex, with air coming from Siberia right over the North Pole that will travel through northern Canada.
But that air is moving quickly, giving it little time to moderate. It will continue to move all the way down into the U.S. to impact those along the East Coast, but even as far south as the Gulf Coast.
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“It is a widespread cold. The polar vortex is involved but the actual vortex itself stays up over northern Canada,” Farnell said.
While the temperature may not seem that frigid, he said it’s the wind that will be the big issue with a Nor’easter that will move off the coast on Sunday that leads to winds hitting between 30 to 50 km/h, dropping the wind chill throughout the day to about 5 F or -15C midday.
Farnell added while these temperatures are not completely out of the ordinary for Washington, D.C., this time of year, it is still “some of the coldest” air they’ve seen in 10 years.
Trump said he ordered the inauguration address, prayers, and other speeches to be delivered in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.
Dignitaries and guests, including outgoing President Joe Biden and members of Congress, will be brought into the building as well.
“The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies will honor the request of the President-elect and his Presidential Inaugural Committee to move the 60th Inaugural Ceremonies inside the U.S. Capitol to the Rotunda,” a spokesperson said Friday.
That location has been prepared as an inclement weather alternative for every inauguration in case of bad weather, including in 1985, the last time the ceremony was moved indoors when temperatures on Ronald Reagan’s second swearing-in dropped to 7 F or -14 C.
Alternate plans are required for the more than approximately 250,000 ticketed guests to view the inauguration from around the Capitol grounds, in addition to the tens of thousands more expected to be in general admission areas or to line the inaugural parade route to the White House.
Trump added in his post that the inaugural parade will also be moved to the Capital One Arena, which is being opened on Monday both to host the parade but also for people to view the swearing-in live inside.
“This will be a very beautiful experience for all, and especially for the large TV audience,” Trump wrote.
—with files from The Associated Press.