Dec 31, 2008 7:00 pm US/Eastern
Polar Party: Arctic Air To Chill NYC Bash
Dangerous Conditions Expected In Times Square For World's Most Famous New Year's Eve Bash
Wind Gusts Of 50-60 MPH, Wind Chill Temps Of -10 Possible
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Over a million revelers celebrate in Times Square New Year's Eve as they ring in the year 2007 at midnight by watching the famous ball drop. (Photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images)
Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
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The annual New Year's Eve midnight fireworks display is seen from below the Sky Tower as New Year is welcomed on December 31, 2008 in Auckland, New Zealand.
Phil Walter/Getty Images
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The pre-midnight New Year's Eve fireworks based on the Aboriginal theme 'Creation Storm' explodes over Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House on December 31, 2008.
Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images
Bundle up for the ball drop! That's the advice coming out of the CBS 2 HD Weather Center on Wednesday evening. Meteorologist Megan Glaros is predicting a frigid New Year's Eve, with dangerously high winds and brutally cold temperatures.
Over 1 million revelers are expected to shiver through swirling snow and ice-cold wind in Times Square for the chance to usher in 2009. Temperatures are expected to reach a bone-chilling 18 degrees by midnight. Factor in winds gusting up to 60 mph and it will feel more like anywhere from 0 to -10 degrees.
TELL US YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR 2009!
Temperatures are expected to drop to a low of 13 overnight in the city and into the single digits in points north and west.
A high wind warning remains in effect for NYC, Long Island the New Jersey Shore until 1 a.m. A wind advisory, featuring 30-40 mph gusts, has been issued for the rest of the tri-state area.
Snow amounts of 2-4 inches blanketed the tri-state area on Wednesday before tapering off completely in the early evening hours. NYC got less than an inch of snow, but parts of Orange County saw about four inches. Most of New York saw 1-2 inches, but parts of Connecticut received 3-6 inches of accumulation.
Northwest winds rapidly increased Wednesday afternoon, ushering an Arctic air mass into the region. This is expected to cause a flash freeze of any slush or waters on roadways which will make for treacherous road conditions during the overnight hours.
One thousand balloons and more than a ton of confetti will rain down in the last five minutes before the midnight ball drop. The celebration will be televised live. Security will be tight. Alcohol is forbidden.
"Frostbite and hypothermia start to be a real risk when the temperatures get in the single digits," warns CBS 2's John Elliot. "It's worth it to have extra layers of clothing. Please be smart, ring in the New Year safely."
The Clintons -- that's Bill and Hillary -- are slated to help Mayor Michael Bloomberg lower the nearly 12,000-pound Waterford crystal ball.
The first-ever Times Square celebration was held in 1904 to commemorate the official opening of the new headquarters of The New York Times.
WEATHER NOTICES:
High Wind Warning in CT - Northern Fairfield ,
Southern Fairfield
Winter Storm Warning in CT - Northern Middlesex , Northern New Haven , Northern New London , Southern Middlesex , Southern New Haven , Southern New London
Winter Weather Advisory in CT - Northern Fairfield , Southern Fairfield
High Wind Warning in NJ - Bergen , Coastal Ocean , Eastern Monmouth , Eastern Passaic , Essex , Hudson , Hunterdon , Mercer , Middlesex , Morris , Northwestern Burlington , Ocean , Somerset , Southeastern Burlington , Sussex , Union , Warren , Western Monmouth , Western Passaic
Winter Weather Advisory in NJ - Bergen , Eastern Passaic , Essex , Hudson , Morris , Sussex , Union , Warren , Western Passaic
Wind Advisory - Eastern Dutchess , Eastern Ulster , Sullivan , Western Dutchess , Western Ulster
High Wind Warning - Bronx , Kings (Brooklyn) , Nassau , New York (Manhattan) , Northern Westchester , Northwest Suffolk , Orange , Putnam , Queens , Richmond (Staten Is.) , Rockland , Southeast Suffolk , Southern Westchester , Southwest Suffolk
Winter Weather Advisory - Bronx , Delaware , Eastern Ulster , Kings (Brooklyn) , Nassau , New York (Manhattan) , Northern Westchester , Northwest Suffolk , Orange , Putnam , Queens , Richmond (Staten Is.) , Rockland , Southeast Suffolk , Southern Westchester , Southwest Suffolk , Sullivan , Western Dutchess
Winter Storm Warning - Northeast Suffolk
Wind Chill Advisory, Winter Weather Advisory - Eastern Columbia , Eastern Dutchess , Western Ulster
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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