Extreme cold, tight security as New York ushers in 2018

NEW YORK - Brutal weather may have iced plans for scores of events in the Northeast United States from New Year's Eve through New Year's Day, but not in New York City, where people started gathering in Times Square up to nine hours before the famous ball drop.

"Hundreds of thousands have withstood very cold weather over the years for a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and we expect this year to be no different," said Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance which puts on the event.

The coldest New Year's Eve in Times Square came in 1917, when it was 1 degree at midnight. This year, the forecast is for 11 degrees with a wind chill around zero, which would tie for second with 1962.