I’m sure that was the pessimsitic sentiment in some circles. Such naysayers were proven wrong, of course – or at least, mostly wrong:

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 (UPI) —
Portions of the frostbitten United States are feeling the coldest air
so far this winter and forecasters predict the cold snap could extend
into the weekend.

Frigid conditions were expected for Inauguration Day Tuesday in Washington, CNN reported Thursday.

Raw, subzero surface temperatures and winds driving wind chill
readings to the minus-40 range settled in along a path from the
Canadian border to the lower Midwest, with some cities posting record
overnight lows. 

…

An Alberta Clipper preceding
a numbing shot of Arctic air was expected to leave 1-3 inches of
powdery snow along the Interstate 95 corridor from New York City to
Boston Thursday, AccuWeather.com reported.

Orrison said most temperatures Thursday would be below zero in the
Upper Midwest through the Great Lakes and into the Northeast — and the
cold snap isn’t over.

The coldest air of the season was expected to blast through the
Upper Midwest and settle over the East and South during the next two
days and last through the weekend before a warm-up begins, he said.