It won’t just be raining confetti in Times Square after the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve as people pack into New York City to celebrate the start of 2023.
Published Dec 28, 2022 11:43 AM EST | Updated Dec 31, 2022 5:49 AM EST
After an outbreak of Arctic air swept through most of the eastern United States over the holiday weekend, bringing record cold to the region, residents and spectators in New York City can expect mild conditions to ring in 2023. Although temperatures are expected to be above normal for the iconic ball drop in Times Square on Saturday night, AccuWeather meteorologists caution that revelers planning to be outside should dress with the weather in mind.
On Christmas Day, the high temperature in midtown Manhattan reached only 28 degrees, leaving many residents and spectators wondering if the cold will stick around into the start of 2023. AccuWeather meteorologists say that a case of weather whiplash is in store as the afternoon high on New Year's Day could be nearly 30 degrees higher than Christmas Day in New York City.
"Despite the recent bitter cold, this New Year’s Eve and Day will be quite mild for the Big Apple, very similar to last year when Dec. 31 [2021] had a high of 55 degrees and Jan. 1 [2022] had a high of 56 degrees," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski explained.
Fireworks are set off at midnight during the Times Square New Year's Eve celebration, early Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, in New York. (Photo by Ben Hider/Invision/AP)
Although temperatures are not expected to reach the record high of 63 degrees observed in 1965 on New Year's Eve in New York City, high temperatures are set to send the mercury into the middle 50s Saturday afternoon.
More than a million people are expected to take to the streets of Midtown Manhattan on Saturday, but as the temperatures around midnight are expected to be in the low 50s, wet conditions could dampen the spirits of some revelers.
"Unfortunately, though, with the milder air comes the likelihood of rain. Saturday may start off dry, but rain is likely for the evening and certainly by the time the ball drops at midnight in Times Square," Pydynowski said.
Cloudy skies with mild conditions are expected Saturday morning, but showers will spread into the Big Apple by the afternoon as steady rain builds into the region by Saturday night. Dry air is expected to move into Manhattan on Sunday, and a cloudy sky in the morning will give way to intervals of clouds and sunshine in the afternoon as mild conditions remain.
People attending the celebration should wear waterproof shoes and a raincoat or plastic poncho to stay dry and consider wearing layers. Certain fabrics, such as wool, retain their insulating properties, even when wet.
As hundreds of thousands make their way home on mass transit after the festivities come to an end and the massive cleanup operation begins, mild conditions are in store with steady rain throughout most of Saturday night. Rain should let up as the main center of the storm shifts into New England by Sunday.
"For those tourists remaining in the city on New Year’s Day to do some sightseeing, it does look like conditions should dry out," Pydynowski said.
Good travel conditions are in store along the Interstate-95 corridor of the Northeast on New Year's Day and Monday as high pressure moves into the eastern U.S.
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