Hello, 2021! Here's how the weather for New Year's Eve will look across the US
By
Brandon Buckingham, AccuWeather Meteorologist
Updated Dec 31, 2020 10:19 AM EDT
2021 contains exciting astronomy events from supermoons to eclipses and stunning meteor showers! Don’t miss the top five astronomy events of the new year.
Most of us can probably agree, the year 2020 wasn't what most people hoped for when they wished for a return of the "Roaring Twenties" at the start of the year. But alas, the stars have thrown at us a global pandemic, a hyper-inflated economy, and a slew of impactful and costly meteorological events -- not exactly what we had in mind, but oddly fitting in its own right.
In a year that has looked like few others, New Year's Eve celebrations will be no different. While the large gatherings of revelers in New York City's Times Square and other big cities across the United States will be absent, those looking to celebrate on a smaller scale in neighborhoods and communities around the country will want to keep up-to-date on the forecast to see whether they can plan on shooting off their own fireworks outdoors or should watch them on a screen.
Teresa Hui, 39, poses for selfie photographs in front of the giant numerals for "2021" to be used in the upcoming New Year's eve festivities in New York's Times Square, Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
With that in mind, here's the breakdown of the forecast for the final hours of 2020 and first hours of the new year.
For much of the nation, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures are expected to be on par with that of late December and early January. The real cold spots with RealFeel® Temperatures in the single digits Fahrenheit will extend over parts of the northern Plains and the Upper Midwest.
Major storm to bring rain, ice and snow to central and eastern US
A storm system that began taking shape across Texas at midweek will result in some of the nastiest weather nationwide on New Year's Eve. This storm will likely run the full gamut of precipitation types in some areas as well.
Heavy rain and even strong-to-severe storms will be possible across the Southern states throughout the day and into the nighttime hours on Thursday. Places like New Orleans, Dallas, Memphis, Little Rock and many more southern United States cities could face a threat for drenching downpours, leading to travel issues for those looking to head out and celebrate.
A zone of wintry weather is also expected from this storm system, which will undoubtedly bring along its own set of hazardous conditions.
"For those out and about to ring in 2021 may have to contend with icy roads in northern Missouri, eastern Kansas and central Oklahoma. Revelers in places such as Kansas City; Wichita, Kansas; and Oklahoma City could all experience slippery conditions," AccuWeather Meteorologist Ryan Adamson stated.
Only a few items celebrating the new year are displayed at the vendor's stall in Times Square, New York, Monday, Dec. 28, 2020. While there will be a ball drop in Times Square on New Year's Eve, it will be primarily for TV cameras as the usual tightly packed crowds of revelers will not be permitted due to the pandemic. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
For some of these areas, this storm is forecast to bring along the second round of icy weather this week.
Along with the icy conditions, a swath of snow is also expected to be featured from this storm, further complicating travel plans. The combination of ice accretion and accumulating snowfall may be just enough to cause localized power outages from west-central Oklahoma to eastern Kansas, as well as northwestern Missouri Thursday night.
Storm to approach Northeast, however New Year's Eve largely quiet
The same storm system that will track across the southern and central U.S. on New Year's Eve will also spread a messy wintry mixture across the Northeast. Luckily, the adverse conditions will largely hold off until New Year's Day.
A cold front sliding through the Northeast during the morning hours on New Year's Eve may dampen plans in places like New York City, Philadelphia and even in Washington, DC, however, drier air will likely filter in by the afternoon. The dry conditions will likely hang around through the afternoon and into the overnight hours, just in time to ring in the new year.
Conditions will likely take an icy turn during the day on Friday, as a large swath of real estate from the Midwest to the New England coast is forecast to feature wintry conditions.
Mild and wet for some across the Southeast
The storm system across the center of the country will also play a role in the expected weather across the Southeast for New Year's Eve. Residents and vacationers in Florida can expect some of the best weather nationwide as a warm and humid air mass will comfortably sit in place. Places like Miami and Tampa can expect temperatures to comfortably sit in the upper 60s to lower 70s during the late-evening hours as 2020 draws to a close.
While the mild conditions will also be featured across the Southeast as a whole, some locales will have to deal with wet weather during Thursday evening's festivities. The aforementioned storm system will likely spread rain and perhaps a few thunderstorms to places like Atlanta, Birmingham, Alabama and Raleigh, North Carolina.
This will likely carry over into the day on Friday as the storm system continues to march towards the East Coast.
Unsettled weather to ease its grip across the Northwest
A storm system will track into the Pacific Northwest early Wednesday, spreading rain and mountain snow into the Cascades, northern Sierra Nevada and even into the interior Northwest by the end of the day. This disturbance will continue to bring showery weather to places like Seattle and Portland during the day on New Year's Eve, however, the coverage and intensity of the rainfall will likely begin to taper off into the evening hours.
A totally dry forecast cannot be completely guaranteed though, so if you are planning on heading out, it may be a good idea to keep an umbrella nearby in western Washington and Oregon.
Dry and chilly across the Southwest
There will not be too much to talk about across the Southwest, as dry and chilly conditions are in the offing for New Year's Eve. From Los Angeles to Phoenix, Las Vegas and even Albuquerque are all expected to remain dry as the year comes to a close.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Weather Forecasts
Hello, 2021! Here's how the weather for New Year's Eve will look across the US
By Brandon Buckingham, AccuWeather Meteorologist
Updated Dec 31, 2020 10:19 AM EDT
2021 contains exciting astronomy events from supermoons to eclipses and stunning meteor showers! Don’t miss the top five astronomy events of the new year.
Most of us can probably agree, the year 2020 wasn't what most people hoped for when they wished for a return of the "Roaring Twenties" at the start of the year. But alas, the stars have thrown at us a global pandemic, a hyper-inflated economy, and a slew of impactful and costly meteorological events -- not exactly what we had in mind, but oddly fitting in its own right.
In a year that has looked like few others, New Year's Eve celebrations will be no different. While the large gatherings of revelers in New York City's Times Square and other big cities across the United States will be absent, those looking to celebrate on a smaller scale in neighborhoods and communities around the country will want to keep up-to-date on the forecast to see whether they can plan on shooting off their own fireworks outdoors or should watch them on a screen.
Teresa Hui, 39, poses for selfie photographs in front of the giant numerals for "2021" to be used in the upcoming New Year's eve festivities in New York's Times Square, Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
With that in mind, here's the breakdown of the forecast for the final hours of 2020 and first hours of the new year.
For much of the nation, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures are expected to be on par with that of late December and early January. The real cold spots with RealFeel® Temperatures in the single digits Fahrenheit will extend over parts of the northern Plains and the Upper Midwest.
Major storm to bring rain, ice and snow to central and eastern US
A storm system that began taking shape across Texas at midweek will result in some of the nastiest weather nationwide on New Year's Eve. This storm will likely run the full gamut of precipitation types in some areas as well.
Heavy rain and even strong-to-severe storms will be possible across the Southern states throughout the day and into the nighttime hours on Thursday. Places like New Orleans, Dallas, Memphis, Little Rock and many more southern United States cities could face a threat for drenching downpours, leading to travel issues for those looking to head out and celebrate.
A zone of wintry weather is also expected from this storm system, which will undoubtedly bring along its own set of hazardous conditions.
"For those out and about to ring in 2021 may have to contend with icy roads in northern Missouri, eastern Kansas and central Oklahoma. Revelers in places such as Kansas City; Wichita, Kansas; and Oklahoma City could all experience slippery conditions," AccuWeather Meteorologist Ryan Adamson stated.
Only a few items celebrating the new year are displayed at the vendor's stall in Times Square, New York, Monday, Dec. 28, 2020. While there will be a ball drop in Times Square on New Year's Eve, it will be primarily for TV cameras as the usual tightly packed crowds of revelers will not be permitted due to the pandemic. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
For some of these areas, this storm is forecast to bring along the second round of icy weather this week.
Along with the icy conditions, a swath of snow is also expected to be featured from this storm, further complicating travel plans. The combination of ice accretion and accumulating snowfall may be just enough to cause localized power outages from west-central Oklahoma to eastern Kansas, as well as northwestern Missouri Thursday night.
Storm to approach Northeast, however New Year's Eve largely quiet
The same storm system that will track across the southern and central U.S. on New Year's Eve will also spread a messy wintry mixture across the Northeast. Luckily, the adverse conditions will largely hold off until New Year's Day.
A cold front sliding through the Northeast during the morning hours on New Year's Eve may dampen plans in places like New York City, Philadelphia and even in Washington, DC, however, drier air will likely filter in by the afternoon. The dry conditions will likely hang around through the afternoon and into the overnight hours, just in time to ring in the new year.
Conditions will likely take an icy turn during the day on Friday, as a large swath of real estate from the Midwest to the New England coast is forecast to feature wintry conditions.
Mild and wet for some across the Southeast
The storm system across the center of the country will also play a role in the expected weather across the Southeast for New Year's Eve. Residents and vacationers in Florida can expect some of the best weather nationwide as a warm and humid air mass will comfortably sit in place. Places like Miami and Tampa can expect temperatures to comfortably sit in the upper 60s to lower 70s during the late-evening hours as 2020 draws to a close.
While the mild conditions will also be featured across the Southeast as a whole, some locales will have to deal with wet weather during Thursday evening's festivities. The aforementioned storm system will likely spread rain and perhaps a few thunderstorms to places like Atlanta, Birmingham, Alabama and Raleigh, North Carolina.
This will likely carry over into the day on Friday as the storm system continues to march towards the East Coast.
Unsettled weather to ease its grip across the Northwest
A storm system will track into the Pacific Northwest early Wednesday, spreading rain and mountain snow into the Cascades, northern Sierra Nevada and even into the interior Northwest by the end of the day. This disturbance will continue to bring showery weather to places like Seattle and Portland during the day on New Year's Eve, however, the coverage and intensity of the rainfall will likely begin to taper off into the evening hours.
A totally dry forecast cannot be completely guaranteed though, so if you are planning on heading out, it may be a good idea to keep an umbrella nearby in western Washington and Oregon.
Dry and chilly across the Southwest
There will not be too much to talk about across the Southwest, as dry and chilly conditions are in the offing for New Year's Eve. From Los Angeles to Phoenix, Las Vegas and even Albuquerque are all expected to remain dry as the year comes to a close.
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Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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