Here's your New Year's Eve weather forecast. And is the polar vortex on the way?

Will the weather interfere with your New Year's Eve plans?

"The good news is that the weather will be dry and cooperative across much of the United States as the last minutes of 2024 wind down and the first moments of 2025 begin," said AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski in an online forecast.

One big exception will be in the East, where a storm will soak portions of the northeastern U.S. with rain and will even whiten some areas with light snow on New Year's Eve. The rain is expected to fall from the Carolinas to New England on Tuesday, forecasters said.

The storm will be a prelude to what's expected to be a very cold, potentially stormy stretch of weather for much of the U.S. as the calendar turns to 2025.

Times Square forecast is soggy

New York City, specifically Times Square, is one of the areas that will be soaked by the storm.

In New York City, where thousands are expected to gather for the annual Times Square ball drop, officials have already begun warning people that the heaviest rain is forecast to hit the city from 10 p.m. Tuesday to 4 a.m. Wednesday.

"People heading to the event should be prepared for the rain to move in and pour down for the second half of the evening hours on Tuesday, lasting through when the ball drops at midnight and on into the early morning on Wednesday," AccuWeather said.

"Planning on seeing the ball drop in Times Square for New Year's Eve? Be weather aware, as moderate to heavy rain is possible within a few hours of midnight that night," the New York State Weather Risk Communication Center said in a weather outlook on X.

More: Flood warnings in effect as storms descend over Northeast this week

Snow could fall in parts of Midwest

Snow may fall around the northern and western Great Lakes, including Chicago, on Tuesday. At the very least, a wintry mix will occur on the northwestern flank of the storm from parts of Indiana to northern and western New York state and northern New England, AccuWeather said.

In Chicago, the National Weather Service said that "colder air wrapping into the system from the north and northwest Tuesday will allow for rain to gradually mix with/change to wet snow from west to east before ending Tuesday night."

The weather service in Detroit is also predicting a white New Year's Eve: "Colder air arrives Tuesday with additional rain and snow possible New Year`s Eve. Snowfall of 1 to 2 inches will be possible mainly along and south of the I-69 corridor."

More: Flood warnings in effect as storms descend over Northeast this week

The West is best for New Year's Eve weather

For the most part, the western half of the U.S. will be clear and dry on New Year's Eve, forecasters said. Mostly clear conditions are in store for downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday night as temperatures fall into the 50s.

One exception will be the Pacific Northwest, where on-and-off rain is likely to pester revelers in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle on New Year's Eve, Sosnowski said.

Weather service warns about lake effect snow

Storm systems moving east from the Rockies will blast the Great Lakes region with heavy, Lake Effect snow from Wednesday through the end of the week, according to the National Weather Service.

About 6 to 12 inches of snow is forecast to accumulate downwind of the lower Great Lakes by Thursday, while a wintry mix is expected in central New England.

Winter storm warnings were set to activate Wednesday in northern Ohio, northwestern Pennsylvania, western New York and much of Vermont. The weather advisories warned people that winds of up to 40 mph and snow amounts of 6 to 7 inches will create treacherous travel conditions.

"Travel could be very difficult. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning and evening commutes from Wednesday through the end of the week," said the weather service office in Buffalo, New York.

Is the polar vortex coming?

Looking ahead, much colder air is predicted to arrive in waves across the central, eastern and southern U.S. over the first week to 10 days of January. "The severity of the cold air could be dangerous, damaging and disruptive," Sosnowski said.

Meteorologist Ryan Maue, posting on X, said, that the Canadian Arctic 'polar vortex' is predicted to wobble into the Great Lakes and Southeast into mid-January.

"This is a long-lasting and potentially severe cold event for the eastern U.S. and potential for significant snow from winter storms in the South and Northeast," Maue wrote.

Sosnowski said that "for example, around Chicago, mild conditions with highs in the 40s are in store into Tuesday."

"However, in the wake of progressively strong pushes of Arctic air, highs from Friday through next weekend will be no better than the 20s then no better than the 10s from Jan. 7-10."

More: What is the polar vortex? In-depth look at how it can affect winter weather in the US.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Your New Year’s Eve weather forecast: Rain, snow and more