Energy

It Might Be The Coldest Thanksgiving Day Parade On Record

Snow scene (By Psy guy - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=533690)

Attendees of the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City are soldiering through what is the coldest Thanksgiving for the city in decades, and possibly the coldest on record.

Thanks in large part to Arctic air moving down from Canada, the Northeastern United States might be experiencing some of the coldest temperatures on record. The low pressure system is traveling south from the Arctic and resulting in a deep freeze in New England. These cold temperatures, combined with a heavy wind chill, are making for one freezing Thanksgiving Day Parade.

[Thanksgiving Holiday Central Park Top 5]: Here are the coldest high temperatures and coldest low temperatures observed on Thanksgiving at Central Park since 1870. The current forecast for Thanksgiving gives a high of 27° and a low of 20° pic.twitter.com/D6XmoaKqCo

— NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) November 20, 2018

The expected high temperature in New York City will be 27 degrees Fahrenheit with a low of 20 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the New York Weather Service. If such forecasts hold true throughout the day, Thanksgiving 2018 will be the third-coldest Thanksgiving for the city in modern history, based on records that date back to the 1870s.

The lowest Thanksgiving Day temperature ever recorded in New York City came on Nov. 30, 1871, when mercury dropped to 22 Fahrenheit.

Parade goers are also dealing with one of the windiest Thanksgivings on record. Forecasts predicted northwest winds of 15 to 20 miles per hour and gusts of up to 30 miles per hour. In fact, the forecast initially threatened the parade, with city organizers fearing such winds would knock out balloons.

We’re only 1 day away from #MacysParade! Here’s a sneak peek at some of the newest balloons to float down New York City???? pic.twitter.com/lBGaIpBfCP

— Macy’s (@Macys) November 21, 2018

However, these fears proved to be overblown, with the parade moving forward without any major issues.

“Decision has been made: parade balloons will fly!” tweeted Eric Phillips, a spokesman for the mayor of New York City. “We’ll be monitoring wind conditions closely, and adjust their height if necessary. But they will be in the air.”

The record low temperatures were not lost on President Donald Trump, who asked Wednesday night: “Whatever happened to global warming?”

Brutal and Extended Cold Blast could shatter ALL RECORDS – Whatever happened to Global Warming?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 22, 2018

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