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Looking at the weather for Joe Biden’s inauguration compared to previous ones

The 46th President of the United States contended with cold and wind as he took the oath of office Wednesday

Today's weather at noon in Washington, D.C. as President Biden was sworn in (Copyright 2021 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.)

WASHINGTONJoe Biden is officially the 46th President of the United States after taking the oath of office at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.

The ceremony took place on a cold and windy day in our nation’s capital, with even a few stray snowflakes to mark the occasion!

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The National Weather Service office in Sterling, Virginia has weather records of every Presidential Inauguration, dating back to the first in 1789, when George Washington became president in New York City.

Some of these inaugurations were held indoors, others in March instead of January. We’re dealing with the weather conditions at noon for many of these records.

Biden’s inauguration was the coldest since Barack Obama was inaugurated in 2009 and the windiest since Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985, when strong winds forced that ceremony indoors.

The flurries that flew during the ceremony were pretty rare. The NWS says there’s a 1-in-20 chance of snow falling at noon on Inauguration Day.

Here are some of the records for previous Inauguration Days.

I only looked at outdoor inaugurations for the purposes of this article. Also, I will note that the 57-degree reading for Andrew Jackson’s inauguration is considered unofficial as official weather records didn’t begin until 1871.

Inauguration Day weather extremes (Copyright 2021 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved.)

Imagine being at William Howard Taft’s inauguration as nearly 10 inches of snow fell on that day in 1909!

In case you’re wondering how recent inaugurations were affected by weather, here’s a list from the past fifty years.

Temperatures and weather remarks for Presidential Inaugurations since 1970 (National Weather Service Sterling, VA)

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About the Author
Justin McKee headshot

Justin McKee presents the weather forecast on 10 News Saturday and Sunday mornings from 6 to 8 a.m. He also fills in for other meteorologists during the week.

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