NEW YORK — Winter storm warnings and plummeting temperatures put a chill on New Year's Eve plans for hundreds of thousands of revelers.
Thousands of homes and businesses in the Midwest had no electric lights for the holiday because of wind damage.
Temperatures in the teens were forecast for midnight and the annual ball drop in New York's Times Square and for the First Night celebration in Boston, where up to 11 inches of snow was forecast.
However, that was almost mild compared to the upper Midwest, which started the day with temperatures as low as 33 below zero at Wahpeton, N.D., and 24 below at Brainerd, Minn.
Up to a million revelers, jammed tightly together by intense security, were expected to hunker down against the icy wind in Times Square to watch a five-minute blizzard of balloons and more than a ton of confetti.
But the weather put a crimp in the festivities for some. New Bedford, Mass., put its fireworks display off until Jan. 8, and Baltimore pushed its show back to this evening due to high winds.
The National Weather Service posted storm warnings for parts of New England, upstate New York, Ohio, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington state.
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