On Wednesday workers installed 228 crystal triangles on the ball that will drop in Times Square on Sunday, signifying the beginning of 2018.
This year’s design features Waterford Crystal triangles, which add to the “Gift of Serenity” theme envisioned by organizers. Designers say when it’s finished, the ball will look like butterflies flying above a meadow.
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The ball’s design is extremely precise. It starts at a height of 470 feet and built to withstand a massive change in temperature during its decent toward Times Square. In addition, it needs to resist the force of high winds.
The Times Square celebration in Manhattan is one of the largest in the country, with as many as a million people typically showing up to fill the square and ring in the new year.
However, this year might have a lower turnout due in part to an incoming cold front and some possible storms. Meteorologists say temperatures will dip at least as low as the mid-teens in NYC this weekend. If that wasn’t enough to keep revellers inside, there’s a possibility of snow as well.
If experts are correct, this New Years Eve could come within range of the coldest on record in the city, which was two-degrees Fahrenheit back in 1962.
Other cities have even worse weather to look forward to this weekend, and the National Weather Service is advising people to contain their parties to warm spaces and try not to go out unless absolutely necessary.
Boston is expected to hit five-degrees on New Years Eve and stay there for the entire next day. Erie Pennsylvania, which had record-setting five feet of snowfall this weekend, will now have to deal with the freeze as temperatures hit the single digits.
