Baltimore officials canceled Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade because of the freezing temperatures expected to blast the area.
The city’s arts council announced the decision Saturday morning.
“We are truly disappointed to cancel this much beloved event. However, we agree with the mayor’s office that public safety must be our top priority in this moment,” Robyn Murphy, interim CEO of the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts, said in a statement. “The inclement weather and frigid temperatures have dictated this very necessary decision.”
Mayor Brandon Scott said on X that it was a “difficult decision” made out of “an abundance of caution for the safety of our participants and spectators.”
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This marks the second consecutive year that city leaders have canceled the parade because of concerns about weather.
Laurel Park announced Sunday morning that it had canceled Sunday’s racing program due to the weather.
Concerns about the weather also caused Monday’s inauguration of President Donald Trump to be moved indoors.
The Baltimore area is also bracing for 2-4 inches of snow Sunday ahead of the artic blast. The NWS issued winter storm warnings for the region from 7 a.m. Sunday to 7 p.m. Monday.
Ahead of the snow, Harford Community College and Towson University in Northeastern Maryland announced their campuses will be closed all day Sunday. All classes and events are canceled.
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Temperatures are expected to plunge to single digits Monday on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
A polar vortex, a ring of cold air that typically circles the artic, is moving toward the Rocky Mountains and expected to hit much of the United States by Monday.
Monday evening through Tuesday night could see temperatures as low as 8 degrees in the Baltimore region, with a high near 32 degrees through the week, according to the National Weather Service. Worse yet, a wind chill will make the air feel like it’s 10 degrees below zero, according to the forecasts.
This story has been updated.
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