Balloons cleared to fly in New York's Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/28/thanksgiving-macys-parade-floats-will-fly

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Sonic the Hedgehog, Snoopy and Spider-Man have all been cleared to take to the skies above Manhattan, after the New York police department decided conditions were safe for the giant balloons to be part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.

There had been fears that the 16 balloons would not be allowed to fly, due to the sustained winds that followed Wednesday's nor'easter storm, which dumped rain, sleet and snow across the north-east.

The cohort of cartoon characters was given the go-ahead on Thursday morning, although each will be assigned a police sergeant and may have to be flown lower, should gusts pick up.

The large balloons are integral to the Thanksgiving parade through Manhattan. They have only been grounded once in the 87-year parade's history, in 1971, but in recent years, after an incident with a Cat in the Hat balloon in 1997, wind conditions have been monitored closely.

In that incident, the rubber inflatable swept out of control and hit a light pole. Debris injured spectators and left a woman in a coma. In 2005 two M&Ms balloons injured spectators, although less seriously.

Wind gauges will line the route to make sure it's not too breezy, according to the New York police commissioner, Ray Kelly.

"We have a sergeant assigned to each of the balloons," he said. "They can be lowered all the way to the ground."

The balloons would have been grounded if sustained winds exceeded 23mph and gusts exceeded 34mph. Despite a blustery morning in New York, the balloons boldly began to make their way through the city just after 9am.

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