President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to the White House with the Inauguration Day set for Monday (Jan 20). It will be the coldest presidential ceremony in over 40 years because of the polar vortex headed to Washington.

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The frigid arctic air due to the polar vortex has left millions of Americans facing unusually low temperatures, including those attending the inaugural ceremony of Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance.

Also read | 'Coldest day in 40 years': Donald Trump's inauguration moved indoors

The National Weather Service earlier predicted a 30 per cent chance of snow on Trump’s swearing-in ceremony.

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The temperature on Inauguration Day when the president-elect will be sworn in at noon is expected to be in the low 20s, along with gusty winds.

Also read | Donald Trump arrives in DC with family ahead of inauguration

According to the FOX Forecast Center, the maximum temperature is expected to be near minus 3.8 degrees Celsius (25 degrees Fahrenheit) and the minimum near minus 11 degrees Celsius (12 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday (Jan 20).

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According to the forecast, winds between 20 and 30 mph are expected during the afternoon ceremony, with feels-like temperatures dropping to a low of minus 11.6 degrees Celsius (11 degrees Fahrenheit) due to the wind chill.

Also read | Several senior career diplomats asked to resign ahead of Trump’s inauguration

Washington received heavy snowfall a day before Inauguration Day which can leave three inches of snow on the ground.

Indoor inauguration for the first time

The president-elect’s inauguration is set to be held inside the Capitol Rotunda for the first time in 40 years due to extreme cold weather conditions in Washington.  

“The weather forecast for Washington, D.C., with the windchill factor, could take temperatures into severe record lows. There is an Arctic blast sweeping the Country,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account. “I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way. 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 (In any event, if you decide to come, dress warmly!).”

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“Therefore, I have ordered the Inauguration Address, in addition to prayers and other speeches, to be delivered in the United States Capitol Rotunda,” he said.

The last time a presidential swearing-in ceremony happened indoors was for President Ronald Reagan in 1985. 

In 1961, a winter storm resulted in a snowy inauguration of President John F. Kennedy.

(With inputs from agencies)