Every year, people gather in New York City to celebrate the coming of the new year, but this year, something was different, it was nearly record breaking cold.

It was a normal celebration in New York this year, people gathered partying, waiting for the ball to drop to break in the new year. Except, it was 11 degrees out. It was the second coldest New Years Eve, behind 1917 and 1962, both of which saw the temperature hit four degrees for a low. However, people still came out in bulk to see the ball drop, about 2 million of them in fact, according to CBS News. Some waited until the whole country broke into 2018, which would be as late as 3 a.m. in New York City.

“I did hear about the cold on New Years Eve in New York. It was too cold, but really, you can’t cancel the event. It’s a yearly tradition, and its not like it can be postponed to a later date, the year only changes once, anyway,” junior Mackenzie Tucker said.

It was cold everywhere on the day, even here in St. Louis, where temperatures reached the lower teens, and some traditions were canceled around the city, including the lighting of fireworks. The cold is definitely a mystery, but why could it be happening? There is no real indication, and some may argue its a flaw, or some might blame global warming for messing with temperature.

“It was really cold on New Years Eve. It didn’t affect me really, but I know people it affected. I think the cold is just something that you’d have to deal with on New Year’s, it’s in the start of the winter, so it’s bound to be a little cold. I really don’t think you can do anything about it though, you can’t change mother nature, after all,” sophomore Na’Von Richmond said.

The future of New Years Eve temperature wise is very unknown, as weather can’t be totally decided until the date gets closer, but it will be interesting to watch. Around here however, lots of plans were canceled due to the weather, and might be an issue in the future too.

One thing’s for sure, the New Years Eve celebrations can’t be postponed, and will forever be a chilly event.