Bundle up because it will feel like the upper 20s
The weather conditions for the tree lighting tonight will be clear but cool, with just enough bite in the air to add a festive chill to the ceremony.
Between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET, temperatures will be in the mid- to upper 30s. These temps, combined with southwesterly winds between 8 and 10 mph, will make it feel more like the upper 20s at the time of the lighting.
As tree lightning weather goes, tonight’s cold but clear sky forecast will be “sparkling,” just like the 30 Rock tree when it gets lit just before 10 p.m. ET.
Kelly Clarkson made first tree lighting appearance 20 years ago
Kelly Clarkson, the host of the 2023 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting, made her tree lighting debut 20 years ago.
Clarkson has performed at the tree lighting ceremony a number of times over the last two decades, but her first appearance on the Christmas plaza was for a performance at the event 20 years ago, she said on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” last month.
“I am stoked to reveal that I am getting the chance to do it again and this time at my new home at 30 Rock,” Clarkson said in October.
In addition to her hosting duties, Clarkson is expected to perform throughout the two-hour special.
NYPD ramps up presence because of a possible protest
The New York City Police Department is anticipating a pro-Gaza rally around 6 p.m. ahead of the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
The group is calling on their supporters to “Flood The Tree Lighting for Gaza,” prompting the NYPD to increase their uniformed and plainclothes presence beyond what is already a heavily secured event.
Police officials have said that they will not tolerate any destruction or violence and plan to use department drones to monitor crowds and to make sure there are no disturbances.
The NYPD has previously said that the city is in a “heightened threat environment” tied to the Israel-Gaza war but says there are no specific or credible plots threatening the city and specifically the tree lighting.
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