Parade Balloons Take Shape, but Flight Is Iffy, Depending on Wind – NYTimes.com

By MARC SANTORA and SARAH MASLIN NIR

Published: November 27, 2013 7 Comments

Felix the Cat once caught fire. Bullwinkle sprung a leak, spewing a blast of helium from his nose yards from the finish line. And giant M&Ms, Sonic the Hedgehog and SpongeBob SquarePants have all crashed into objects on the street.

But only once in the 87-year history of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has bad weather grounded the towering balloons that float through the streets of Manhattan on the holiday.

Now, a storm bearing down on the East Coast is once again placing the fate of the balloons in doubt.

The balloons can rise as high as five stories and can be difficult to control in wind.

via Parade Balloons Take Shape, but Flight Is Iffy, Depending on Wind – NYTimes.com.