It could be raining on their parade, however crowds gathered for the one centesimal annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade refused to let it dampen their spirits.
Heavy rain and chilly situations are anticipated to carry regular Thursday morning within the Massive Apple — although the poor climate outlook hasn’t appeared to cease hundreds of thousands of parade-goers from donning ponchos, umbrellas and even Turkey hats and taking to New York Metropolis streets.
The Spirit of New York dance group had excessive spirits regardless of the rain and chill, with members in clear ponchos over their uniforms taking the practice uptown forward of the occasion, which kicks off at 8:30 a.m. on Manhattan’s Higher West Aspect.
Performers, floats and new balloons like Spider-Man and Minnie Mouse will weave 2.5 miles downtown to Macy’s Herald Sq. flagship retailer on thirty fourth Road.
This 12 months’s parade will function 17 large helium-filled character balloons, 22 floats, 15 novelty and heritage inflatables, 11 marching bands, 700 clowns and performances by award-winning entertainers.
New floats this 12 months embrace a knight and dragon in battle made out of precise pasta parts, courtesy of the Rao’s meals model, in addition to a float celebrating the Bronx Zoo’s one hundred and twenty fifth anniversary.
“What you see right now is what you’re going to get. Chilly, cold rain,” Fox Forecast Middle Meteorologist Jordan Overton instructed The Submit Thursday morning. “Definitely make sure you have a rain jacket for the rest of the day and through the afternoon.”
Constant rain and darkish heavy clouds will seemingly loom over the 5 boroughs for a lot of the day.
“It will wane in intensity, maybe you’ll have 15-20 minutes of some really heavy rain and then maybe it’s 15-20 minutes of light rain. It’s going to be this persistent, messy feel for most of today,” Overton mentioned.
Snoopy, Pikachu and Bluey could get drenched, however the iconic balloon characters mustn’t float away, as winds are anticipated to stay calm all through Thursday.
Whereas the parade goes on annually rain or shine, Macy’s beloved outsized balloons can’t fly in sustained winds over 23 mph.
“It will probably pick up to 10, 15, or maybe even 20mph into the afternoon, but it’s not going to be a huge factor in terms of the parade, at least not right now,” Overton mentioned.
Respite will seemingly solely come after Turkey Day, with the rain anticipated to loosen up properly into Thursday afternoon or the night.
Black Friday consumers may also relaxation straightforward tonight: Clearer situations are anticipated to return to New York after the vacation wraps.
Whereas the rain is anticipated to cease for Friday, consumers ought to nonetheless bundle up, as temperatures will seemingly dip into the low 30s in a single day.
