Inauguration weather
The millions of people in Washington D.C. did not seem to mind the cold conditions for the inauguration. Temperatures were in the teens and 20s, but there was plenty of sunshine. All in all, it was rather nice weather for January in D.C.
January 20th is not the best date to plan an outdoor event in Washington D.C. The average noon temperature is 37 degrees, there is a one in six chance for precipitation, and a 1 in 20 chance for snow. But January 20 is the date that we inaugurate our president in the United States, and weather is often a factor.
Inaugurations past have produced some interesting weather. President Reagan’s first inauguration is the warmest January inauguration at 55 degrees. His second was the coldest on ever at 7 degrees. The warmest inauguration was President Ford in 1973, but it was in August and it was 89 degrees. In 1909, President Taft’s ceremony was moved inside due to 10 inches of snow that downed trees and stalled trains. In 1937, FDR rode in an open car as 1.77 inches of rain fell.
Inaugural weather has also led to tragedy. In 1841, President William Henry Harrison was without a hat or overcoat and caught a cold, which developed into pneumonia. He died 30 days later. Similarly, in 1853, outgoing President Millard Fillmore’s wife caught a cold during a cold and snowy ceremony. She also developed pneumonia and died at the end of the month.
While 2009 was cold, the weather was rather unremarkable compared to inaugurations past.
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on 01/22 at 09:25 PM
