NYC lifts fireworks ban ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations

The New Year doesn’t always mean a clean slate when it comes to the weather. Here’s a look at some of the craziest New Year’s Eve celebrations and their potential impact on the Times Square ball drop this year.

NEW YORK – The show will go on in the city that never sleeps, despite ongoing drought concerns and the threat of fireworks.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and other officials announced Monday that they had lifted the citywide ban on open flames and fireworks following recent rains in the five boroughs.

“While we have received enough rain across the five boroughs to lift our ban on fireworks and open flames, I want to be clear that we are far from out of the woods,” Adams said in a statement. “New Yorkers who receive permits for these activities should enjoy them, but you must exercise extreme caution to prevent fires and keep our parks safe. And the rain we received is nowhere near as much as the additional rain we had.” “We would need to replenish our upstate reservoirs, so all New Yorkers must continue to conserve water whenever they can.”

According to the US Drought Monitor, drought caused dozens of wildfires in November as the drought reached severe levels.

The Central Park Weather Observatory recently reported an annual rainfall deficit of nearly 4 inches, similar to Newark and Queens.

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Every year, millions of people celebrate New Year’s in the city, attending events such as the Times Square Ball Drop, festivities in Prospect Park, and a midnight run through Central Park.

Some groups that normally hold annual fireworks displays in the city have scaled back, opting for light shows instead of fireworks that could potentially start a fire.

One of those places is Prospect Park, where a small brush fire broke out in mid-November, sending smoke into Brooklyn.

“In light of the unprecedented drought and recent fires, this 44-year-old tradition will move from a fireworks display to a Brooklyn backyard light show celebration for the first time this year. The event will feature live entertainment from Quintessential Playlist starting at 10 p.m. “At midnight, a festive light show begins in the sky over Brooklyn’s backyard, featuring beloved iconography like the Brooklyn Bridge, the Big Apple, the Statue of Liberty and more,” according to the Prospect staff Park Alliance explained.

Celebrations of the annual Waterford Crystal Ball Drop in Times Square are expected to go ahead as usual, continuing a tradition dating back over a century.

NEW YORK – JANUARY 1: Fireworks at New Year’s Eve celebrations on January 1, 2012 in Prospect Park in Brooklyn.

(Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images / Getty Images)

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Despite recent rains, New Yorkers are still encouraged to conserve water whenever possible as the city faces historic shortfalls.

According to the city’s Department of Environmental Protection, the reservoirs were already at about 60% capacity at the end of November.

According to National Weather Service historical records, December is typically one of the wettest months of the year in the Big Apple, with 4.38 inches of precipitation.