NEW ORLEANS — A significant cold snap is about to envelop a large portion of the United States due to another polar vortex disruption, which is expected to bring frigid Siberian air across the region. Meteorologists predict that temperatures during Donald Trump’s second inauguration will be historically low, making it the coldest inauguration in 40 years.
Beginning in the Rockies, the icy air will spread towards the east and potentially reach as far south as the upper Florida peninsula over the coming days. According to meteorologist Ryan Maue, approximately 280 million Americans will experience a day or two of temperatures colder than Anchorage, Alaska.
“This is likely one of the most severe cold outbreaks we’ve seen in the past decade or so,” stated Judah Cohen, a winter weather expert at Atmospheric Environmental Research. With air originating from Siberia, he explained, when the polar vortex is disturbed, it allows the flow of cold air to travel from Siberia to the United States.
The cold spell is anticipated to strike Washington, D.C., prior to Trump’s inauguration on Monday at the U.S. Capitol. The National Weather Service forecasts a temperature of around 22 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-6 degrees Celsius) at noon during the swearing-in ceremony, which would mark the coldest inauguration since Ronald Reagan’s second term, where temperatures dropped to 7 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-14 degrees Celsius). In comparison, Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009 witnessed temperatures of 28 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-2 degrees Celsius).
In addition to the frigid temperatures, wind speeds are predicted to range from 30 to 35 mph (48 to 56 kph), intensifying the chill. Meteorologist Zack Taylor from the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center noted that wind chills could be in the single digits, making conditions particularly cold and blustery along the National Mall where the event will take place.
Washington may experience single-digit temperatures later in the week and could even approach zero degrees on Wednesday morning. There is potential for record lows to be set in cities like Baltimore, and while many records will likely be for daytime highs rather than overnight lows, the entire eastern region will feel the impacts.
About 80 million individuals could encounter subzero temperatures at some point, with the coldest conditions generally expected on Tuesday morning across the continental United States. The average low temperature for that day is forecast to be around 7 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-14 degrees Celsius). Regions stretching from Chicago to Indianapolis, Columbus, and Pittsburgh are predicted to endure the harshest cold compared to their typical winter temperatures, with rapid drops at night due to calm winds over snow-covered ground.
Meteorologists have indicated that these extreme conditions could even reach the Gulf Coast and northern Florida. Earlier predictions for severe cold this month had moderated, but as the cold outbreak approaches, forecasts have become even more concerning, with each new model showing lower anticipated temperatures, Maue said.
While some snow event possibilities exist, mainly, it will be an exceptionally cold spell, characterized by what Maue referred to as a “dry cold.” The source of this cold snap is once again linked to the polar vortex, which usually confines cold air near the North Pole but is being stretched southward, resembling a rubber band, according to Cohen.
Recent years have seen an increase in such stretching events, and experts have associated these polar vortex disturbances with climate change and varying pressure and temperature differentials between the Arctic and other regions of the Earth. These changes in the jet stream can lead to extreme weather patterns, pushing cold air and weather systems southward.
As these cold air plumes emerge on the eastern side of the jet stream, meteorologists also warn of warmer air and considerable pressure differences in places like Southern California, potentially exacerbating existing high winds and fire conditions near Los Angeles.
This chilling weather pattern seems to be here to stay for a while, with some meteorologists suggesting that below-normal temperatures could persist through the end of the month across much of the country. Long-range models also indicate that similar polar vortex conditions could reoccur in early February, hinting at continued cold spells.
