A wave of Arctic cold will spread across almost the entire United States over the weekend and early next week. The temperature felt may be -45 degrees in some places. According to AccuWeather meteorologists, Donald Trump's inauguration as president on Monday may be the coldest such ceremony in 40 years.
– In the coming days, a picturesque bubble of cold will descend over Canada and the United States – said tvnmeteo.pl forecaster Arleta Unton-Pyziołek. The forecast of the temperature deviation on Monday, January 20 at an altitude of 1.5 kilometers shows that thermometers near the ground may show -40/-35 degrees Celsius in places. – Everything will start on Saturday. This wave is expected to move south for several days, until around January 23, the forecaster added.
The National Weather Service (NWS) forecast says frigid air will reach the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains on Friday and begin moving toward the Gulf Coast and Midwest on Saturday evening. Arctic cold will hit the US east coast on Sunday.
A cold bubble over the United States Tropical Tidbits
Temperature drop
The inflow of Arctic air may bring night temperatures down to -31 degrees Celsius over the weekend in the northernmost parts of the United States, reports phys.org.
Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the NWS, said it will be coldest in the north, center and east of the country. The inflow of Arctic air is caused by the weakening of the polar vortex. – The polar vortex is a mass of air above the North Pole, located high in the stratosphere. People live in the troposphere, and the stratosphere is just above it, he explained.
Frosty air will spread across the US2025 Cable News Network All Rights Reserved
The temperature felt may be -45 degrees
Extreme cold is expected in North Dakota. From Saturday night to Monday morning, the temperature felt there may be -45 degrees Celsius. Why is it so low? Because, as meteorologists explain, the inflow of frosty air will be accompanied by strong winds, which will intensify the feeling of cold.
“This temperature can be life-threatening and can cause frostbite on exposed skin within 10 minutes,” the NWS warns.
The states of Idaho and Montana are also preparing for a big cold snap. The wind chill in these regions may be around -34 degrees Celsius. Similar wind chill values are expected for Colorado.
The coldest swearing-in in 40 years
Donald Trump is to be sworn in as president of the United States on Monday in Washington. According to forecasts by NWS experts, the maximum temperature on this day will be around -6/-4 degrees Celsius.
“Also, the winds will be gusty,” said Marc Chenard, an NWS meteorologist. He added that strong winds will cause the wind chill to range from -20 to -9 degrees Celsius. According to the NWS, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will likely be the coldest three days in Washington state in five years.
According to forecasts by AccuWeather meteorologists, it may be the coldest day of the inauguration of a US president since 1985, when Ronald Reagan was sworn in for a second term. 40 years ago the temperature was -13.8 degrees Celsius.
CNN, The Guardian, phys.org