Pounding rain and chilly conditions put a damper on the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Wednesday night as thousands flocked to Midtown to catch a glimpse of the 94-foot-tall Norway spruce in all its illuminated glory.
“We tried to see the tree — we figured the weather would work in our favor, but it backfired,” fumed Mark Lynch, a 28-year-old photographer who was trying to get some shots of the 90-year-old tree with his girlfriend.
“We got into Rockefeller Center, but couldn’t see a branch,” he said, noting how many in attendance were furious over the extra security and the fact that they weren’t allowed to bring in their umbrellas.
“It sucked,” said Rokia Gittens, 22, of Queens. “The weather was dampening the experience. I can see the other side to it, ya know, it’s more hidden if people have umbrellas, but I can’t rationalize it. I think the security is tight because of the attack in Ohio.”
The 56-feet-wide, 14-ton tree — and all 50,000 of its energy-efficient, multicolored LED lights — were lit up by Mayor Bill de Blasio at 8:58 p.m. after performances by some of music’s biggest stars, including Tony Bennett, Neil Diamond, Josh Groban, Tori Kelly, Sarah McLachlan, Dolly Parton, Jordan Smith and Garth Brooks.
NBC “Today” show anchors Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker and Hoda Kotb provided live coverage of the 83rd annual ceremony as New Yorkers and tourists hunkered down in the pouring rain.
“We’ve always wanted to go, so we decided to make the trip today even though it’s raining,” said Rachel Delia, 27, of California. “The lights are beautiful!”
Stacy Stanley, a 44-year-old from Oneonta, New York — the same city the tree hails from — told The Post she couldn’t resist making the 3½-hour drive to the Big Apple to see a piece of hometown history.
“It was amazing and spectacular when we found out,” she said. “We had a huge party in the community. It was wonderful, a lot of camaraderie. A lot of people came down to see the tree, they took buses. The tree was 10 minutes away from where we live.”
While some people didn’t let the bad weather bring them down, most were irked by the rain and the boosted security — with many complaining about having to leave their umbrellas at the NYPD entrances.
“I didn’t expect the rain, the cold, unorganized security and people stumbling over me,” explained Tim Hopper, a 33-year-old health care worker from Brooklyn. “My umbrella was stolen — thanks, NYPD. I understand the extra security measures because terrorism, but I’m blaming Trump to feel better. At least I saw Al Roker in person speaking about the rain.”
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree — which is the second-tallest in history — will be lit every day from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. until Jan. 7.