Winds a threat to Macy’s parade

? Strong winds predicted for today threaten to force SpongeBob SquarePants, Scooby Doo, Pikachu and a dozen other popular balloon characters to sit out the 80th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The forecast calls for winds to possibly surpass 23 mph, the threshold that Macy’s and city officials set as the top sustained wind speed before larger balloons are pulled out of the parade for safety reasons.

The final decision on whether to fly the balloons won’t be made until this morning.

The parade is scheduled to begin at 8 a..m. CST. It will be aired on NBC, Sunflower Broadband Channels 8 and 14.