Washington, 17 January 2025 (dpa/MIA) - The US capital Washington is stuck in sub-zero temperatures, and Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday could go down in history as the coldest swearing-in in decades.

Although it is not expected to be as cold as Ronald Reagan's second inauguration in 1985, when temperatures were reportedly nearly minus 14 degrees Celsius at noon according to the National Weather Service, temperatures of about minus 9 degrees Celsius are currently forecast for Sunday night, with a high of minus 6 degrees Celsius expected on Monday, though it could feel significantly colder.

Traditionally, the ceremony takes place outdoors on the west side of the US Capitol.

The weather service lists a "normal" high temperature on inauguration day as 7 degrees Celsius, with a normal low of minus 1 degree Celsius. At noon, it is typically around 3 degrees Celsius.

For many guests who are not among the most prominent, these are not good prospects as they must take their seats a long time before the ceremony begins.

Trump has often used cold snaps in the past to mockingly question where global warming has gone.

Due to the low temperatures in 1985, the inauguration had to take place indoors. It was then held in the Rotunda, the domed room of the US Capitol. According to the weather service, that inauguration was the coldest since weather records began in 1871.

MIA file photo