For the first time in 20 years, rain is expected to intrude on the Rose Parade in Southern California, a venerable New Year's Day event that attracts thousands of spectators and is watched by millions more on TV.
Storms caused Christmas week flooding, mudslides and other miseries across the region. Now comes a 100% chance of rain Thursday in Pasadena, the National Weather Service said.
“We try not to say that word around here,” joked Candy Carlson, a spokesperson for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the organization behind the 137th Rose Parade, which precedes the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff game.
Arctic air is meanwhile expected to blanket much of the eastern two-thirds of the country, the weather service said.
In New York City, forecasters predict temperatures in the low 30s Fahrenheit (around zero degrees Celsius), which is not unusual, when the ball drops in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Light rain is possible in Las Vegas, where several casinos will be shooting fireworks from rooftops.
During Nashville's Big Bash, a New Year's Eve event at a park, temperatures will be in the low 30s when an illuminated music note drops at midnight in the Tennessee city. New Orleans will be in the mid-40s Fahrenheit (around 7 degrees Celsius) for a free concert and fireworks along the Mississippi River.
At the Rose Parade, it has rained only 10 times in the parade's history — and not since 2006, Carlson said.
Rare wet weather is unlikely to keep floats, marching bands, entertainers and others from participating. Carlson said people riding on floats will have rain gear if necessary, and tow trucks will be standing by in case of mechanical problems.
Spectators will need to prepare, too. Umbrellas are not allowed in parade seating areas that require tickets, though the ban doesn't cover people who simply line up along the nearly 6-mile (10-kilometer) route. Curbside camping — no tents — begins at noon Wednesday. Rain also is predicted that day.
“Last year's parade theme was ‘Best Day Ever!’ and six days later it was the worst," said Lisa Derderian, spokesperson for the city of Pasadena, referring to the devastating Eaton wildfire in Los Angeles County. “We want to start the new year on a high note. Hopefully Mother Nature cooperates with the weather.”
Confetti is released during a confetti test ahead of New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
FILE - Marching bands perform along Colorado Blvd. in the 136th Rose Parade, in Pasadena, Calif., Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — At least 41 young men have died as a result of circumcision procedures as part of traditional initiation activities in South Africa in November and December, authorities said Tuesday.
Traditional initiation is a rite of passage into manhood for young men that is practiced annually by various ethic groups in Africa, including parts of South Africa. Among them are the Xhosa, Ndebele, Sotho and Venda communities.
Traditionally, young men are isolated at initiation schools where they are taught cultural values and responsibilities as they become adults. The circumcision part of the initiation results every year in the deaths of some initiates, forcing the government to intervene through legislation.
The laws force initiation schools to be registered with authorities, but this has not stopped the proliferation of illegal initiation schools where many of the deaths are reported.
Parents are expected to pay for their children to be accepted into the initiation school for the prescribed period, which for some is a financial motivation to start an unregistered initiation school.
Initiation periods typically run during winter (June-July) and summer (November-December) school holidays.
South Africa's Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa told local broadcasters Tuesday that 41 initiates died during this year's summer initiation. He blamed negligence on the part of both the initiation schools, including registered ones, and parents for not adhering to safety standards and medical advice.
Hlabisa said some of the unproven advice often given to the young men is to avoid drinking water in order to heal faster.
“There is negligence in terms of meeting health standards in some of the initiation schools. If you take your child to an initiation school, you never make a follow-up, you do not monitor, you do not go there to see whether the child does drink water, you are placing your child at risk,” he said.
Eastern Cape province has been identified as a hot spot for the death of initiates, totaling 21 so far.
Hlabisa said 41 people have been arrested in relation to illegal initiation schools, including parents who had supplied wrong ages for their children to be admitted.
Only children who are 16 years and above may be admitted to initiation school with parental consent, according to South African law.
Traditional initiation is widely practiced in African communities, with the return of the initiates often characterized by joyful, cultural celebrations.
FILE - Xhosa boys stand in a field during traditional Xhosa male circumcision ceremonies into manhood in Qunu, South Africa, on Saturday, June 30, 2013. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam, File)
