The New York City Police Department tweeted early Thursday that the 16 helium balloons -- including familiar faces like Snoopy and Smokey the Bear -- were given the all-clear to fly, WPIX reported.
Hey Astronaut Snoopy, we are clear for take-off!
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) November 28, 2019
Did you know that each balloon at the Thanksgiving Day Parade has an NYPD supervisor assigned to it? They train with @Macys to ensure the safety of everyone, and they have given us the “all clear” for this morning!#MacysDayParade pic.twitter.com/6Ff3XmSaNH
The National Weather Service projected sustained winds of up to 24 mph with gusts to 40 mph during the parade, the television station reported.
Balloons are prohibited from flying if sustained winds exceed 23 mph or if gusts top 34 mph, WABC reported. If winds exceed those levels, balloons will be walked through the streets of Manhattan, the television station reported.
The parade was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. EST.
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