January 17, 2017
Forget politics… this week’s BIG inauguration story is the weather forecast! President Trump’s big day will be one of the warmest in U.S. history. The high temp should reach 51-degrees in the nation’s capital. That’s eight-degrees above the average of 43. Many remember the 1980 inauguration of Ronald Reagan when the temp hit 55— the warmest inauguration ever! Those are the only 50-degree plus inaugurations on record.
However, rain is also in the forecast this time around. Most of that will fall mid-day or later. But, it could be worse. Some may recall President Kennedy’s inauguration challenge— eight-inches of snow fell the night before his big day. Somehow the nation pulled it all together and his inauguration came off without delay.
Look for the Rural Tractor Brigade during the parade. RFD-TV invited every tractor manufacturer to participate and those confirmed include Case IH, Challenger, John Deere, Kioti, Kubota, Mahindra, Massey-Ferguson, and New Holland who will showcase tractors used in modern agriculture production. The tractors will be driven by leaders in agriculture -- including Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation; Ron Moore, president of the American Soybean Association and his wife Deb; Randy Krotz, CEO of the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance; John Weber, president of the National Pork Producers Council; and Jim Odle, co-founder of Superior Livestock Auction. Also driving to represent rural media include National Association of Farm Broadcasting past and current presidents Mark Oppold and Max Armstrong, and Patrick Gottsch, founder & president of RFD-TV and RURAL RADIO on SiriusXM.
The parade will be broadcast LIVE on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC at 3:00 PM ET. Watch RFD-TV for coverage leading up to and after the event.