0 are watching. it's a great tradition. be sure to tune in tomorrow. >> happy new year to all of our friends. be safe, everyone. it is time now for "newsroom." kyra phillips in for carol costello. >> love it. that's our old stomping grounds, michaela, that's right. the rose parade. berman, unless you do the happy dance. as long as you do the happy dance. >> go ahead. take it away. >> i'm so jealous. happy new year, guys. "newsroom" starts right now. here's what's happen right now in the newsroom. battling flames after an explosive train crash in north dakota. thousands of people are urged to evacuate as smoke and fumes threaten that town right now. new year's deep freeze. >> very cold. >> lots of layers. we'll just keep together and we're going to have a good time. >> temps plunging into the teens tonight and tomorrow? well, the snow comes then. that's not stopping the new year's celebrations as we ring in 2013. good morning and thanks for joining me, everyone. i'm kyra phillips in for carol costello today. happy new year's eve, everybody. it's 2013 in sydney, australia, as you just saw a short time ago. people there rang in the new year with a spectacular fireworks show. oh, yeah. here in the u.s., cities across the country preparing for their own celebrations. you're looking at live pictures now of times square, where officials are ramping up security as thousands of people are getting ready to watch that famous ball drop. if you're planning to ring in the new year outside, brace yourselves. an arctic blast is pushing east. ice cold temps gripping parts of the midwest. five states are under windchill warnings and advisories. by midnight places like minneapolis will actually feel like 18 degrees below zero. the new year could mean a new snow storm in the northeast. a possible nor'easter could dump 15" of snow in boston on new year's day. meteorologist jennifer gray will be one busy woman. i don't know if you'll have time to party. you'll be covering this winter weather all through the night. >> oh, yeah. it is just going to get worse. people are already getting here. i can't believe it. they're lining up around the barricades and shortly they'll be letting people in. it is going to be crazy down here in times square as we go through the next several hours. but bundle up. it's going to be cold. times square is not the only cold spot across the country. there are places that are much colder, including up in the north. the northern plains seeing temperatures feeling like 40 degrees below zero in some places in the northern plains. and that cold air is going to slowly work its way to the northeast as we go through the next couple of days. the cold air will stay in place in the northern plains, right around the great lakes. as we head into the second half of the week, we've been talking about this winter storm that will impact the northeast. you bet those temperatures are going to get cold. 17 degrees, the high temperature here in new york city on friday. so just get ready. there are two scenarios we're watching. the forecast models are still disagreeing a little bit on what this is going to do. bottom line, though, very cold air is already in place. so regardless of where the low goes, if it pushes well offshore, stays closer to the northeast, we'll still have very cold air. the big question is how much snow will we see? if it heads offshore, we'll see less snow. this is the possible worst case scenario, if that low stays right over the northeast, then we're looking at possibilities of 6 to 8" of snow in new york city, 8 to 10" of snow in places like boston. if the low does make a track offshore a little sooner, then we're looking at less snow and a better scenario. something to watch as we go through the next 24 to 36 hours. of course, if you are going to be outside at the stroke of midnight, there are your temperatures. it will be cold across much of the country. layer up here in times square. it is going to be a long day for folks. but everyone we talked to, the weather is not stopping them, kyra. they will bundle up and wait for that ball to drop at midnight. long day. >> as true new yorkers do. jennifer, thank you so much. they'll be sell brath all new year across the globe, actually. sydney, australia, take a look at some of the best parts so far of the new year's fire works show that wrapped up a short time ago. >> three, two, one.