Weather and Natural Disasters

New Year's Eve Weather: Snow Possible in Las Vegas as Millions Shiver

New Year's Eve will be a chilly one for much of the country, even in places that typically pop champagne on the big night in balmy temperatures.

Las Vegas could see snow and rain Wednesday night and is expected to see a high of only 44 degrees Thursday. The Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, could beat a record low of 32 degrees and the state's Bay Area was under a high-wind advisory.

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Those who have spent a year putting together Las Vegas' fireworks show said the party has not been called off yet, but warned that winds of more than 10 miles per hour could force a postponement. "But we'll be ready to go. The theme this year, is 'don't stop the party,' so we're not going to stop it yet," Phil Grucci, coordinating the show, told NBC station KSNV.

The chilly forecast follows the coldest day of winter yet for the Lower 48 on Tuesday. In Omaha, Nebraska, where the wind chill was 10 to 20 degrees below zero, authorities said a man was found dead in the street likely killed by exposure, the Omaha World-Herald reported. Meanwhile, high winds in northern California knocked out power to thousands around the Bay Area and falling trees killed two people in separate incidents in the town of Paradise, according to the Oroville Mercury-Register.

Albuquerque will see a high of 34 degrees, only 42 degrees is expected for Austin, Texas, and Tulsa, Oklahoma can hope for at best 29 degrees New Year's Eve — all at least 12 degrees below normal. On New Year's Day in Pasadena, the National Weather Service said temperatures could break a record low of 32 degrees that was set in 1952.

High winds in California were already wreaking havoc Tuesday. Two people were killed north of Sacramento after trees felled by gusts toppled and fell on a car and a house in separate incidents, Cal Fire told NBC station KCRA.