the rest of the bunch could be grounded. let's get more from jason carroll. >> reporter: the crowds are certainly out here in the upper west side. excited about seeing t ining th balloons in the parade. they are sonic, the hedgehog here and there is hello kitty. 16 giant balloons in all in the macy's thanksgiving day parade. still a question in terms of whether or not they will end up flying. we spoke to the man who is ultimately going to be the one making that decision. he is the instant commander for the new york city police department. he says he is obviously going to be checking the weather reports. they are going to be checking the wind gauges along the parade route as well and the final decision will not come before the parade is expected to start. a lot of fingers are crossed out here hoping that the balloons will end up flying. >> it's deflating to even think about, isn't it, john? if sustained winds in new york city top 23 miles an hour with