(CNN)Will the balloons fly?
That’ll be the question on the minds of millions of people as day breaks in New York Thursday and officials decide whether the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons will be a part of annual procession through Manhattan.
It’s rare to spend Thanksgiving without Snoopy flying over New York’s skies. But a storm system bearing high winds could ground some of the giant character balloons. The balloons cannot be flown when sustained winds exceed 23 mph and gusts exceed 34 mph, according tocity regulations.
“We got to say everything will be a game day decision tomorrow,” New York Police Department ChiefTerenceMonahan said during a Wednesday news conference. “So we’ll see what happens.”
Strong wind gusts
Wind gusts may reach up to 50 mph Thursday in New York City in the hours the parade is expected to fly its beloved balloons, according to the National Weather Center.
“Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects, “the weather centersaid.” Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result .
While wind speed could vary from 15 to 25 mph in the state, it’ll be higher within the city because of what’s known asBernoulli’s principle, CNN meteorologist Michael Guy said.
“As air gets compressed between buildings, it goes faster,” he said.
But officials are hopeful
Macy’s will work with the New York Police Department Thursday morning to determine whether the balloons will fly, according to company spokesman Orlando Veras.The parade balloonshave only been grounded once before, Monahan said. That was in 1971, Veras said, when there was “extreme wind.”
The parade is scheduled to kickoff at 9 am ET.
Officials are trying not to have a repeat of 1997, when the Cat in the Hat balloon injured four people after intense winds forced it astray.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was staying positive Wednesday.
“I’m keeping my fingers crossed, I’m asking everyone – keep the City of New York in your thoughts and prayers so the wind will stay calm and we will be able to let these balloons fly, “he said during the balloon inflation Wednesday night.
To parade or not to parade
Wind or no wind, the parade will go on – even if some of the larger balloons aren’t there.
“We absolutely encourage everybody to come out and enjoy what, without a doubt, is one of New York City’s greatest family oriented traditions, “outgoing NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said.
“We’re going to have another great and very safe Thanksgiving in New York City,” he said.
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