A New Year's Eve rehearsal in Times Square in New York on December 29, 2023
A New Year's Eve rehearsal in Times Square in New York on December 29, 2023. AFP

KEY POINTS

  • Meteorologist Stephanie van Oppen said rain will 'likely linger through midnight' Tuesday
  • The NWS has also warned that rain showers should be expected Tuesday night, with very heavy rains possible between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.
  • The second week of January will bring exceptionally high probabilities of below-normal temperatures in much of the East

With around one million people expected to ring in the new year in the Big Apple Tuesday evening, weather forcasters say rain could dampen festivities.

Fox Forecast Center Meteorologist Stephanie van Oppen said rain will move into the New York City area at around 7 p.m. ET Tuesday and will "likely linger through midnight."

The National Weather Service (NWS) said in its seven-day forecast that temperatures will play at around 46 degrees Fahrenheit Tuesday night in New York City, with rain showers to be expected.

The weather agency went on to note that the city could possibly experience a thunderstorm before 1 a.m. Wednesday. There is a 100% chance of rain, with rainfall amounts of around a half inch possible in the area.

Very heavy rains are possible in the city between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET, and van Oppen expects the downpours to be "potentially disruptive" for people attending the New Year's ball drop at Times Square.

The heaviest rains are expected to linger through 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Much of the East Coast will be soaked for the holiday, affected by a storm system moving into the Interstate 95 corridor.

The weather may clear up by Wednesday morning, van Oppen said. Still, she warned that the storm system may also produce snow in Watertown or Buffalo. In general, New Yorkers are likely to see their first snowfall of 2025 a little later.

The New Year's Eve forecast comes as the country is headed toward what could be the coldest January in a decade. The polar vortex is projected to move South across the eastern half of the nation, paving the way for a very cold start to the new year.

The NWS's Climate Prediction Center is expecting "exceptionally high probabilities of below-normal temperatures" across much of the East from Jan. 7 through Jan. 13, 2025.

It warned further that "dangerous wind chills are likely across many areas of the Southeast," while residents as far south as the Gulf Coast and much of the Florida Peninsula will experience below-freezing temperatures.

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