The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Refuses To Bow To Weather, No Matter How Hard It Tries

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade And Weather

Another year, another Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

This year is parade No. 99, which blows my mind. This parade is massive, and officials make sure it is a success, no matter what the weather tries to do.

(MORE: Check Your Thanksgiving Travel Forecast Here)

What A History

Seriously, the weather has never canceled the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. But that's not to say the parade has never been canceled. The only years without a parade in its nearly 100-year history were 1942-44.

You history buffs know why. Those are the years the United States was directly involved in World War II, after declaring war on the Axis Powers in December 1941.

But the weather can play a part in what can fly.

Weather’s Favorites

Despite the weather never officially canceling the parade, that doesn’t mean there haven’t been some impacts.

One year of note was 1997, when winds gusted to 40 mph. All floats over six stories tall were difficult to fly.

The Barney and Pink Panther balloons were stabbed and stomped on by police in order to deflate them. Also that year, the Cat in the Hat balloon slammed a light pole so hard that debris hit a spectator, leaving the woman in a coma for 24 days after she was hit.

After that year, balloons couldn't be flown if sustained winds were more than 23 mph and gusts more than 34 mph.

Nerdy Interlude

I am sure you have heard of the term “Venturi effect,” but if not, I’ll break it down for you.

The Venturi effect is when winds increase as they are compressed into tight spaces. So not only do cars in New York City see the city streets as a tight squeeze, but winds think so, too.

Any strong winds occurring during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade are made even stronger.

Weather’s Other Attempts

Cold wants a piece of the action.

The coldest parade took place in 2018, when the temperature in Central Park plunged to 17 degrees the morning of the parade. That was the second-coldest low temperature for Thanksgiving on record.

While it was too cold for some musicians, Kelly Clarkson was unfazed.

Not All Bad

The weather isn’t just a Debby Downer for this parade. Let’s look at some positives.

Let’s start with warmth.

The warmest parade had a daily high of 69 degrees in 1933. That's not what you would expect in New York City in late November, if you ask me.

For snow, we have to go back to 1989, when New York City saw its first White Thanksgiving in 51 years. The city saw over 4 inches of snowfall by noon, which made the 1.8 million spectators feel as pumped as the balloons.

Since we just teased it, let's go back to 1938, the other snowy Thanksgiving, when the city saw 3.9 inches of snowfall. Other than those two years, there has never been more than 0.1 inches of snow on Thanksgiving to fall on the parade.

Raining On The Parade

I have to say this pun. It’d be insulting if I didn’t.

Raining on the parade is more common than snow, and 2006 saw the heaviest rainfall with 1.72 inches that day, some of which fell on the parade itself.

Wind and rain forced the balloons to fly closer to the ground as sustained winds of 24 mph were reported with gusts peaking to 35 mph.

If weather ever fully cancels the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the parade would be the least of the city's problems.

Rob Shackelford is a meteorologist and climate scientist at weather.com. He received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Georgia studying meteorology and experimenting with alternative hurricane forecasting tools.