New Year's Eve Fireworks Outlook: Cold With Soggy, Snowy Spots
The end of 2025 is near and folks across the country are gearing up for a good ole’ fashioned firework show on New Year’s Eve. A large portion of the U.S. will kick off 2026 on a quiet but cold note. However, a few spots will see a soggy, snowy night, including the biggest New Year’s Eve bash in New York City.
A developing low pressure system will move from the Great Lakes into the Northeast tonight, dragging a cold front through the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Snow will occur in the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and western portions of the Northeast throughout this evening into early New Years Day. Most spots like Chicago, Milwaukee, Wis., Indianapolis, Detroit and Cincinnati will generally see light to briefly moderate snow intensity. However, some heavier snow will occur immediately from the Great Lakes. This would include Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
A few flurries or light snow showers will spread farther south and east by the time the clock strikes Midnight. The biggest celebration in New York City, Boston and Philadelphia will likely see flurries mixed in with the falling confetti.
On the opposite side of the nation, a large upper-level weather system will be approaching California and the Southwest tonight. Expect rain showers throughout California, Nevada and Arizona as 2025 ends and 2026 begins. This rain could also spread into southern Oregon, southern Utah and western New Mexico by the time we ring in the new year. Temperatures will be cold enough in parts of the Sierra Nevada and the mountainous region of central Nevada for snow. Anyone in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas and Phoenix will want to have an umbrella.
Dry, quiet weather awaits the rest of the nation for any New Year’s Eve celebrations. This includes Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Nashville, Tenn., Atlanta, Orlando, Miami, St. Louis, Kansas City, Mo., Dallas, Houston, Denver and Seattle.
It will be especially cold across the north-central and northeastern U.S. tonight. Teens and 20s will be common in these areas, including the biggest New Year’s Eve celebration in New York City. Higher elevations in the Northeast as well as parts of North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin will see even colder temperatures, so it will be important to limit time outdoors. Temperatures will be dipping into single digits or even dropping well below zero. The interior Northwest and tallest portions of the Rockies will have temperatures in the teens and 20s as well.
Still cold 30s and 40s are expected for the Pacific Northwest, Great Basin and Rocky Mountain Front Range into the central Plains, Lower Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Expect upper 40s to lower 50s throughout California and the Desert Southwest, the southern Plains, Gulf Coast and southern Florida.
Be sure to stay tuned to the WeatherBug app, website, and social media for updates on how the weather will impact you on New Year’s Eve!