Wet Weather Cancels Lawrenceville New Year's Event

Lawrenceville, GA -- The heavy rains that have hit the area recently have claimed a new victim -- Lawrenceville’s New Year’s Eve celebration.

The City of Lawrenceville announced on its Facebook page Monday that the event has been called off.

“We regret to announce that due to bad weather predictions, our NYE2015 event is cancelled!” the post reads. “We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.”

Thunderstorms, bringing heavy rains, flooding and even the threat of tornadoes, have hammered metro Atlanta since before Christmas. The forecast for Lawrenceville calls for showers late Tuesday and a 90% chance of thunderstorms on Wednesday.

Lawrenceville Lawn was the scheduled location for the fireworks show and concert.

City marketing official Marci Gross told the Gwinnett Daily Post that the rain-soaked lawn likely would be destroyed if the event went ahead.

“It just wouldn’t be a good use of taxpayers funds to have thousands of people on the lawn when it’s already sinking and drowning under all of that water,” Gross said to the paper.

She said the company contracted to conduct the fireworks show will, instead, plan to do the city’s Fourth of July event for the pay they’ve already received.

For Gwinnett County residents now looking for a New Year’s alternative, the City of Duluth plans to go ahead with its festivities.

The event will run from 7 p.m.-12:30 a.m. on Duluth Town Green and Main Street and will feature fireworks, games, music and food, as well as the midnight lowering of the city’s winged disco ball.