by Matt Taylor
The recent arctic freeze in the northeast USA shows no signs of abating this week. Inauguration day on Tuesday is forecast to be particularly cold.
Last week, some very cold air pushed south from Canada, bringing bitterly cold temperatures to many parts of the Midwest and Northeast. Sub-zero temperatures combined with a fresh breeze led to wind chill temperatures as low as -45C (-49F) in parts of Minnesota.
The cold air is still affecting Washington D.C and a storm system pushing in from the mid-Atlantic on Monday is forecast to bring up to an inch of snow. This will be followed by dry and cold weather through inauguration day on Tuesday.
In stark contrast to the cold weather gripping central and eastern parts of the USA, a number of western states are experiencing unusually warm conditions. Temperatures in Los Angeles last week reached 27C (81F), 10 degrees above average for the time of year.
