The pre-Thanksgiving rush kicks into high gear today, and at least at the start, the weather will cooperate. By Thursday, though, anyone heading into Manhattan for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade be advised: Wear something rainproof for the post-parade walk to the car or the subway.
As of Sunday evening, the National Weather Service was predicting a 60% chance of rain for New York City on Thanksgiving, "mainly after 1 p.m." with a high in the mid 40s, dropping down to 43 degrees in the evening.
Or, put another way: Just in time to make the drive home for Thanksgiving dinner one best taken slowly.
Before then, spectators at the parade, which starts at 8:30 a.m. at 77th Street and Central Park West and ends at Herald Square, can expect a breezy day — with winds at 15-20 mph — but not brisk enough to keep the Pillsbury Doughboy, SpongeBob SquarePants and 20 other giant balloon characters from making their way along the route.
The city mandates that the iconic balloons cannot fly if sustained winds exceed 23 mph and isolated gusts exceed 34 mph. Those rules were implemented after the 1997 parade, when a Cat in the Hat balloon buffeted by strong winds toppled a lamppost, severely injuring several spectators.
The NYPD has promised to be out in full force at the parade. At a security briefing Friday, NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said: "We have assets that you’ll see out there and assets that you won’t see," according to published reports. "We will be highly visible and ready to go."
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