Police warn revelers to suit up in thermals as New York prepares for one of the coldest New Year's Eve celebrations ever - as thousands already start gathering in Times Square to see the ball drop

New York police are warning revelers to suit up in extra thermals, hats and gloves or risk frostbite and hypothermia as the city prepares for one of the coldest New Year's Eve celebrations on record. 

Thousands of people had already started gathering more than 12 hours before the midnight countdown to 2018 to see the glittering crystal ball drop in Times Square.

It could be one of the coldest celebrations on record, held under tight security after a year that saw several fatal attacks on large crowds, including one in Times Square itself last spring. 

Thousands of people had already started gathering more than 12 hours before the midnight countdown to 2018 to see the glittering crystal ball drop in New York City's Times Square

New York police were warning revelers to suit up in extra thermals, hats and gloves or risk frostbite and hypothermia if they planned on being in Times Square

Partygoers were being warned they would be penned in place for hours and to bundle up in preparation.

The National Weather Service expects temperatures in the middle teens in Times Square at midnight Sunday, with wind chill values that could make it feel like minus 5 (-15 Celsius).

The NYPD tweeted out a checklist for partygoers, including hand warmers, wool socks, thermals and more thermals.  

The event could rival some of the coldest New Year's celebrations on record: In 1962 it was just 11 degrees outside, and in 1939 and 2008 it was 18 degrees. The frostiest ball drop on record was back in 1907 when temperatures dropped to 1 degree.

Extra police and fire personnel will be around Times Square to monitor weather conditions and the safety of those in attendance to outdoor events. 

Mariah Carey was spotted rehearsing in the freezing cold ahead of her performance in Times Square on New Year's Eve

Revelers gather in Times Square as a cold weather front hits the region ahead of New Year's celebrations on Sunday night

Elena Barduniotis from Colorado waits in Times Square during a cold weather front ahead of New Year's celebrations

Partygoers were being warned they would be penned in place for hours and to bundle up in preparation 

New York police are warning revelers to suit up in extra thermals, hats and gloves or risk frostbite and hypothermia

Revelers were gathering in Times Square in freezing conditions on Sunday afternoon - well before the midnight ball drop

The police department estimates that it costs $7.5 million to protect the event - with security being tighter than ever before. 

Garages in the area will be emptied of cars and sealed off and detectives are stationed at area hotels working with security officials to prevent sniper attacks.

Thousands of uniformed officers will line the streets, while cement blocks and sanitation trucks will block vehicles from entering the secure area where spectators will gather. 

Revelers must pass through one of a dozen checkpoints where they will be screened and then screened again as the make their way to the main event.

Mariah Carey will perform again on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve," hosted by Ryan Seacrest, after a bungled performance last year.

The police department estimates that it costs $7.5 million to protect the event - with security being tighter than ever before

The National Weather Service expects temperatures in the middle teens in Times Square at midnight Sunday

Thousands of people braved the temperatures to get a spot in Times Square to see the ball drop

Toby Townsend (left) and Stacey Wilson (right), both of Manchester, England, try to keep each other warm during New Year's celebration in Times Square

Freezing cold weather is also expected to usher in for New Year's Eve celebrations across the Northeast and Midwest as well. 

Some events have already been cancelled due to the frigid weather, including the New Year's Eve gathering at the village of Orchard Park near Buffalo in upstate New York.

The weather service predicted lows would hit minus 20 degrees to minus 30 degrees (minus 7C to -34C) from Montana into the Dakotas and Minnesota, which is well below average.

Temperatures could drop to around zero (minus 18C) as far south as the northern border of Oklahoma on New Year's Day.

They will stoop into the minus 30s near the Canadian border over the next few days. 

Icy roads will make travel difficult over much of the United States, from the south-central states of Texas and Oklahoma and eastward over Arkansas. 

A frozen fountain is shown amid the freezing temperatures in Bryant Park in New York, New York Saturday afternoon

People are  bundled up as they walk in Washington Square Park in New York, New York during the Artic blast

Kevin Deiner of Erie, Pennsylvania pushes his Ford Escape out of the deep snow on Saturday

Ron Rodney of Erie and his daughter Leah, 4, climb the stairs behind Strong Vincent Middle School in Erie, Pennsylvania while sled riding Saturday

Freezing weather will usher in for New Year's Eve celebrations across the Northeast and Midwest United States this weekend

About 220 million Americans will see morning low temperatures in the single digits or below zero heading into New Year's weekend 

The bitter temperatures have already been blamed for a handful of deaths and cancelled in long list of weekend celebrations

Timothy Gigone, 51, of Erie, Pennsylvania skis south on Sassafras Street near the intersection of West 14th Street on Saturday

Kevin Deiner of Erie digs out his Ford Escape buried on West Sixth Street also on Saturday

A frozen fountain is shown amid the freezing temperatures in Bryant Park in New York, New York Saturday afternoon

People are  bundled up as they walk in Washington Square Park in New York, New York during the Artic blast

That includes a record low for the date of minus 22F (minus 30C) for Tuesday.

'The bitter cold is going to be dangerous,' Eastlack said in a phone interview, warning residents of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa to avoid venturing outside or taking a car trip.

He said that the wind chills will be near minus 35F (minus 37C), a level when frostbite could set in within 10 minutes.

The weather service predicted lows would hit minus 20F to minus 30F (minus 7C to -34C) from Montana into the Dakotas and Minnesota, well below average.

Several individuals are seen snapping pictures next to a frozen fountain in Bryant Park in New York, New York

A couple of weights are covered in snow in West 4 St basketball courts in New York, New York

Wind chill advisories or warnings were in effect for much of New England, northern Pennsylvania and New York (Pictured, people walk through a frigid Manhattan on Thursday)

Atop Mount Washington, the Northeast's highest peak, the temperature has hit negative 34 degrees, with a negative 89 degree wind chill as boiling water turns into 'snow' (pictured)

Adam Gill, of the Mount Washington Observatory (pictured, Friday), said the previous record of -31 degrees was set in 1933

Temperatures could drop to around 0 F (minus 18C) as far south as the northern border of Oklahoma on New Year's Day.

They will stoop into the minus 30s near the Canadian border on Sunday and Monday, the service said.

The arctic air from Canada will also bring subfreezing temperatures to U.S. Gulf Coast cities such as Biloxi, Mississippi.

Icy roads will make travel difficult over much of the United States, from the south-central states of Texas and Oklahoma and eastward over Arkansas.

The National Weather Service reported International Falls, Minnesota, the self-proclaimed Icebox of the Nation, plunged to 37 degrees below zero, breaking the old record of 32 below set in 1924 (Pictured, New Yorkers brave the cold on Thursday)

Frank Necci clears snow from St Andrews Catholic Church on Friday in Erie, Pennsylvania after a massive snow storm

Workers clear streets on Friday in downtown Erie. Sixty-five inches of snow fell on the city over the course of four days

A man walks with his groceries in a cart on Friday in Erie. The cold weather pattern is expected to continue through the holiday weekend and likely longer

Frankie Lafuente, 11, lays in the snow after a crash with his brother while sledding down a hill on Friday in Des Moines, Iowa

Weather was expected to remain much more mild on the West Coast, with temperatures forecast in the low 70s in Los Angeles over the next few days. 

Officials have issued warnings about possible hypothermia and frostbite and cautioned revelers to wear extra layers and stay indoors if possible.

Extra police and fire personnel will be around Times Square to monitor weather conditions and the safety of those in attendance to outdoor events.

Jason Goldstein (left) and Jon Ross, slide across the ice to check the raised flag on an ice fishing tip up in Ledyard, Connecticut on Friday

The cold snap continues as a man walks on the pier along side a frozen section of the harbor at Fort Taber Park in the south end of New Bedford, Massachusetts on Friday

A small child bundles up as cold temperatures hit New York City on Friday, preparing for a very cold holiday weekend

Residents and tourists alike bare the freezing temperatures in puffy coats, hats, scarves, gloves and boots on Friday

Three friends huddle together in Manhattan on Friday. New York City saw a high of 23 degrees with a wind chill of 14 degrees

Some events have been cancelled due to the frigid weather, such as the New Year's Eve gathering at the village of Orchard Park near Buffalo.

'With frigid weather, the chance of a water line break is higher, and I'd rather have my public works crew fixing it than hoisting a ball up to drop,' Mayor Jo Ann Litwin Clinton said in a statement.

But president of the Times Square Alliance, Tim Tompkins, confirmed a cancellation will certainly not be the case for the big 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,' Tompkins said in a statement of the famous annual Times Square bash.