Thanksgiving Balloons Inflate, But Too Early To Call On Wind

NEW YORK, NY — The gigantic balloons showcased during the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City were being inflated Wednesday, but it was still too early to say if they'll be allowed to fly, a spokesman for Macy's said.

Balloons will be inflated on the Upper West Side from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., Orlando Veras said. New inflatables this year include those depicting Astronaut Snoopy, characters from Green Eggs and Ham and SpongeBob SquarePants with his pet snail Gary.

But potentially dangerous winds forecast for Thursday could mean they don't make it onto the parade route.

"We are always attuned to weather conditions for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade," Veras said.

"We monitor the weather on a regular basis, but at this time it is too early to make any determinations regarding the flight of the Parade’s giant balloons, as we use on the scene data versus forecasts."

If winds exceed 23 miles per hour on parade day, Macy's isn't allowed to fly balloons. Forecasts suggest it will be extremely windy on Thanksgiving.

Current regulations were established in 1997 when the Cat in the Hat blew off course and hurt four people.

"On parade morning, Macy’s works closely with the NYPD which, based on the current weather data and the guidelines, determine at what heights the balloons will fly," Veras said.

For more information on Wednesday's balloon inflation event click here.