The forecast is for sustained winds of 12 to 25 mph and gusts of up to 35 mph. If sustained winds exceed 23 mph and gusts surpass 34 mph, none of this year's 16 character balloons and nearly 30 legacy balloons will be allowed to soar over the 2.65-mile route along Central Park West, Sixth Avenue and West 34th Street.

"It's going to be very close to that threshold, likely right below it," said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Dave Dombek.

The parade, a tradition since 1924, will feature 1,500 dancers and cheerleaders, nearly 1,000 clowns, Broadway performers, including the casts from "Mean Girls" and "My Fair Lady," and celebrities like John Legend, Kelly Clarkson and Diana Ross.

But they'll be cold. The winds will make bone-numbing mid-20s temps feel even more brutal for what likely will be the coldest Turkey Day in the Big Apple in more than a century.

The forecast is on the cusp of the record set in 1901, when it was 19 degrees in Central Park. The last time the balloons were grounded due to heavy winds was in 1971.