What it means for the UWS Thanksgiving Day Parade

By Gus Saltonstall

This year’s Thanksgiving will be a wet one in New York City.

Rain is in the forecast beginning early Thursday and continuing throughout the day. In total, the city is expected to receive about an inch of rain in a 24-hour period, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures will be between 41 and 51 degrees.

What does the rain mean for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade?

The Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place rain or shine, but wind forces have an effect on how the procession looks.

Parade organizers told West Side Rag in an email that based on city guidelines, no giant character balloons, such as Snoopy and Ronald McDonald, will be operated when there are sustained wind conditions over 23 mph and gusts over 34 mph on the parade route.

Fortunately, winds on Thursday are only expected to reach 13 mph, with gusts up to 25 mph.

Wind rules for the Thanksgiving parade came into effect after the 1997 reenactment of the event, when strong gusts made it close to impossible for the balloonists to control them in the sky.

Here is a description of the balloon blood from the following day of the 1997 parade by the New York Times.

“For a while the balloons seemed to drop like flies. Barney suffered extensive damage and had to be removed to 51st Street. The Pink Panther succumbed on 42nd Street. Quik Bunny and the Cat in the Hat limped away on 36th Street.”

That year, the same six-story Cat in the Hat balloon hit a lamppost at 72nd Street and Central Park West and plummeted toward the ground.

Several people were injured and there was a subsequent lawsuit against the city for hundreds of millions of dollars. In addition, the organizers of the event implemented new size rules the next year to make the balloons smaller.

Back to this year’s parade. If you go, expect to see the balloons, but wear a raincoat. (No umbrellas allowed.)

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