Gusty Winds Threaten Balloons At Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

NEW YORK CITY — It's going to be a windy Thanksgiving this year in New York City, where the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will be marching downtown with balloons blowing around in the strong gusts.

Sustained wind up to 10 miles per hour are expected throughout the day, with up to 23 miles per hour in gusts is predicted for Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. At least it will be dry for the parade, though.

Tuesday through Wednesday night is expected to see rain showers, complicating holiday travel and dampening the balloons as they inflate on the Upper West Side the night before.

Typically, the rule is that the balloons won't fly if sustained winds exceed 23 miles per hour, with gusts more than 34 miles per hour, but thankfully the Thursday forecast allows the show to go on — although the character balloons may be flying closer to the ground as an added precaution.

"The balloons should be able to fly, but they may be kept closer to the ground," AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok said. "If stronger winds forecast for the afternoon arrive a few hours early, plans to fly the larger balloons could be impacted."

Here is the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.

Wednesday: Rain likely, mainly between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61. South wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday night: A 20 percent chance of rain before 1 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 39. West wind 6 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.

Thanksgiving Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 44. West wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.

Thursday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 33.

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