TRADITIONAL Hogmanay street parties were set to attract thousands of revellers tonight despite freezing conditions across Scotland.
Forecasters advised people to wrap up warm amid warnings that temperatures will be below zero in most areas – and could reach minus 5C in Edinburgh.
Those outside in the cold when midnight strikes may not appreciate it, but partygoers will have an extra second to enjoy this year's celebrations.
Thanks to the Earth's erratic rotation, the countdown to 2009 will last a moment longer.
British physicists and official timekeepers around the world will insert a "leap second" to bring the most accurate atomic clocks in line with the astronomical day.
Scottish revellers will be joined by thousands of visitors as a 100,000-strong crowd gathers in Edinburgh for the city's famous Hogmanay street party.
As well as the ever-popular outdoor event, the city boasts no fewer than six major music and dance parties.
Organisers of Glasgow's Hogmanay party said the mercury was expected to drop to minus 2C, but it could feel as cold as minus 8C.
In London police were braced for an influx of more than 700,000 partygoers for the capital's riverside fireworks display.
Scotland Yard is urging partygoers to plan their night out to avoid getting shut out from bars and clubs and stranded as they try to make their way home.
In previous years, police have found revellers turning up in the city without tickets for party venues and finding themselves turned away.
Supt Brian Pearce said: "Please plan the evening, book in advance and plan your journey home. Be prepared to wait if you are planning to meet people because the mobile network may be busy."
London Mayor Boris Johnson will evoke the cult movie Apocalypse Now in a New Year's message to be projected onto the Shell Building on the South Bank ahead of tonight's fireworks.
He hopes to give heart to the capital's residents in the face of the economic downturn by quoting a character from the epic 1979 Vietnam war film.
He will say: "There are those who say we should look ahead to 2009 with foreboding.
"I want to quote Colonel Kilgore in Apocalypse Now when he says 'Someday captain, this war is going to end', and someday, this recession is going to end."
But many people were planning to stay at home in response to forecasters' predictions.
Tiffany Curnick, from MeteoGroup UK, said: "We are still dominated by high pressure – it's going to be dry pretty much everywhere.
"It's staying dry and settled for the time being, but really cold."
The weather was not a problem in Dubai, but tens of thousands of British ex-pats in the Gulf state had to plan alternative New Year's Eve celebrations after all public parties were cancelled.
Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, called off festivities late yesterday following the violence in Gaza.
By the time the New Year reaches Britain, it will already have been celebrated across the world.
Sydney was the first major city to see the opening minutes of 2009.
Organisers kicked off the world's celebrations with a record 5,000kg (5.5 tons) of pyrotechnics over the famous Harbour Bridge in the city's biggest display yet.
• Visit our
Hogmanay mini-site for all the info, news, maps, and a chance to send New Year wishes via our online forum
