Nationwide, revelers are setting aside concerns about the weather and even potential terrorist threats to ring in 2011 at large and small gatherings.
From California, where waterlogged residents have contended with record winter rainfall, to the snowbound states along the Eastern seaboard, New Year's Eve celebrations beckon as a respite from the brutal weather that closed 2010. The forecast today is relatively clear, except in the Rocky Mountain region, where a snowstorm is bearing down.
The snow has disappeared from Times Square, although mounds of it remain throughout the city.
Thursday night, vendors were already selling hats and noisemakers, crews were preparing TV sets for the ball drop and tourists milled around Times Square, scoping out a good location for tonight.
'I'm going to be here, near the closest restroom, just in case,'' said Mohammed Azuz, 23, of Tripoli, Libya.In Chicago, city officials are expecting unseasonably warm temperatures to draw a robust crowd to Navy Pier for two fireworks shows. The city is offering penny fares for public transit.
In Portland, Ore., where a 19-year-old Somali-born man is accused of plotting to kill thousands gathered downtown last month for a Christmas tree lighting, police said no New Year's plans are being scaled back.
''Your standard bar and club parties will be going on,'' Sgt. Pete Simpson said. ''It's just not an outdoor thing here.''
New York will be the city in the spotlight as it battles back from a severe snowstorm and security concerns eight months after a Pakistani immigrant tried to detonate a car bomb in Times Square.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly police have a strict security plan in place, with sealed manhole covers and counter-snipers on rooftops. Backpacks are banned and partygoers must pass through checkpoints.
Host Ryan Seacrest and the singer Kesha are among the celebrities who will appear on the nationally televised countdown to the ball drop at Times Square. Singer Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas will headline the Los Angeles portion of the show.
The Times Square ball, which will drop at midnight to signal the beginning of the new year, is 12 feet in diameter and holds more than 32,000 LED lights.
Ed Crawford, chief executive of Philips Lighting North America, which has lighted the Times Square ball since the millennium celebration in 2000, said the lights are so energy efficient, the ball uses the same among of power as two standard ovens.
''There will be lots of special effects. The ball can do anything,'' Crawford said.
