It may be raining on their parade, but the crowds who gathered for the 100th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade didn't mind the rain.
Heavy rain and chilly conditions are expected to continue Thursday morning in the Big Apple, but despite the bad weather forecast, millions of parade participants donned ponchos, umbrellas and even turkey hats and took to the streets of New York City. I can't seem to stop it.
Dance group Spirit of New York was in good spirits despite the rain and cold, wearing transparent ponchos over their uniforms ahead of the event, which began at 8:30 a.m. on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The members boarded the train uptown.
Performers like Spider-Man and Minnie Mouse, floats and new balloons will weave the 4.5 miles to Macy's Herald Square flagship store on 34th Street downtown.
This year's parade will feature 17 giant helium-filled character balloons, 22 floats, 15 innovative and traditional inflatables, 11 marching bands, 700 clowns and performances from award-winning entertainers .
New floats this year include battling knights and dragons made with real pasta elements courtesy of Rao's food brand, as well as a float celebrating the Bronx Zoo's 125th anniversary.
“What you're seeing now is what you're going to get: chilly, cold rain,” Fox Prediction Center meteorologist Jordan Overton told the Post Thursday morning. “Make sure you have a rain jacket with you for the rest of the day and into the afternoon.”
Rain is expected to continue and dark, heavy clouds are expected to hang over the five administrative regions for most of the day.
“The intensity of the rain will decrease and we'll probably see 15 to 20 minutes of fairly heavy rain followed by 15 to 20 minutes of light rain. It's going to continue to feel like this for most of today.” Overton said.
Snoopy, Pikachu and Bluey may get soaked, but winds are expected to remain calm throughout Thursday, so the iconic balloon characters shouldn't be blown away.
The parade takes place rain or shine every year, but Macy's popular oversized balloons cannot fly in sustained winds exceeding 33 miles per hour.
“We'll probably get up to 10, 15 or even 32 mph in the afternoon, but at least for now, it's not going to be a big factor in terms of parades,” Overton said.
A break is likely after Turkey Day, with rain expected to ease by Thursday afternoon or evening.
Black Friday shoppers can rest easy tonight. After the holidays, New York's weather is expected to become even more sunny.
The rain is expected to end on Friday, but shoppers should still be prepared as temperatures could drop into the low 30s overnight.
