Rain was forecast to fall in the New York City metro area from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m., with moderate to occasionally heavy rain falling for a two to four hour period in that window, the National Weather Service’s New York office said. Thunder was predicted for the same area from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., the office said.

A large stretch of the eastern US — including New York’s Times Square, the site of the famed New Year’s Eve celebration — is due for a blast of rain and gusty winds to ring in 2025.

New York City is getting ready to ring in New Year's Eve 2025 with the ball drop countdown in Times Square. The New Year's Eve weather forecast calls for heavy rain, and it could be the wettest celebration in recent years.