Leah Murray
The fountain in Byant Park early Monday.
We freeze, we get soaked, we get blown away.
That, in short order, is what Mother Nature has in store for New York City in the run-up to Thanksgiving.
Temperatures dipped well below normal on Monday as the short workweek got off to a frigid start, forcing commuters to don winter coats unseasonably early.
The average high for this day is 50 degrees, but the mercury in Central Park was only expected to reach a high of 34 degrees, the National Weather Service reported.
“That’s the typical low for this time of year,” said meteorologist Tim Morrin.
Then, on Tuesday, the deluge begins.
“The first drops should start falling mid- to late afternoon and spread into New York City by the evening rush hour,” said Morrin. “It should be light and intermittent. The real swath of heavier and steadier rain will hit during the overnight hours.”
That means the Wednesday morning commute could be a real mess and complicate plans for travelers trying to get out of Dodge early for Thanksgiving.
“We do anticipate 2 to 3 inches of rain, which is a pretty good amount for one storm,” said Morrin.
At least there’s no snow in the forecast.
RELATED: COLD RAIN TO DRENCH NEW YORK
Debbie Egan-Chin/New York Daily News
New Yorkers bundled up more heavily and earlier than usual Monday amid a projected high temperature of just 34 degrees. The average is 50. Riders brave the cold as they wait for a bus on Union Turnpike in Queens on Monday.
“You’d have to get as far north as Albany to see snow,” said Morrin. “We also do not anticipate any large flooding, because it’s been so dry.”
By Wednesday afternoon, the rains should be gone. In their place, though, will be falling temperatures and fierce winds.
“We’re expecting a cold and gusty Thanksgiving Day,” said Morrin.
Wind gusts could reach speeds of 30 to 35 mph right around the time the 87th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade kicks off.
“Even up to 40 mph winds are not out of the question,” said Morrin, who forecasted a high temperature of just 37 degrees.
That Chicago-like wind could play havoc with the beloved balloons at the parade, an aerial armada with four new entries this year — Adventure Time with Finn and Jake, Snoopy and his pal Woodstock, SpongeBob SquarePants and the lovable Toothless from “How to Train Your Dragon.”
“Based on the city’s guidelines, no giant character balloon will be operated when there are sustained wind conditions exceeding 23 mph and wind gusts exceeding 34 mph,” Macy’s spokesman Orlando Veras said.
Macy’s and the NYPD will decide on Thanksgiving morning “if the balloons will fly and at what heights,” Veras said.
Fear not: The last time any of the balloons were grounded because of high wind was back in the 1990s. But wind guidelines were put into place after a 1997 accident involving a runaway balloon that left a Manhattan woman in a coma and three other people injured.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said an NYPD sergeant is assigned to each balloon as an extra safety precaution.
“I held the turkey balloon when I was in high school,” Kelly recalled, sounding a bit nostalgic. “I’m proud.”
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via Great Local News: New York http://newyork.greatlocalnews.info
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