The Snoopy balloon for the Macy's Parade is partially inflated on Wednesday, November 27, in New York. High winds may keep the balloons on the ground during Thursday's Macy's Thanksgiving parade. A colossal storm system that began in California is complicating Thanksgiving travel plans all the way to the Atlantic, causing many transportation delays. 
An employee signals a plane out of the gate at Ronald Reagan National Airport outside of Washington on Tuesday, November 26. 
Travelers wait in security lines at Reagan National Airport on November 26. 
Vehicles pick up passengers in heavy rain at Reagan National Airport on November 26. 
A pedestrian walks through snow showers along Penn Ave in Pittsburgh on November 26. 
Mark Swigart uses a leaf blower to remove snow from the sidewalks November 26 in Pittsburgh. 
Holiday travelers make their way to their car on November 26 after arriving at Pittsburgh International Airport. 
People walk in the rain through Union Square in Manhattan on November 26. New York was bracing for severe weather as the storm made its way east. 
Employees at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport de-ice a plane before departure on Monday, November 25. 
A fallen tree is removed from a car in Odessa, Texas, on November 25. 
A plow and sanding truck heads up Paseo del Norte in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday, November 24. 
Cars slide on Paseo del Norte in Albuquerque on November 24. 
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- High winds won't ground the giant parade balloons, a company spokesman says
- Roads in parts of the Northeast are still slick
- Trains and planes stay on track
- Black Friday becomes Black Thursday
(CNN) -- Now, Thanksgiving is complete.
The 16 giant balloons that are a signature of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will fly in Thursday's event in New York, company spokesman Orlando Veras said.
The balloons' use had been in question because of possible high winds, but only calmer winds have been felt so far.
New York Police, however, determined that the balloons would have to fly five feet lower than if there was no wind at all.
Some worried before the parade that they wouldn't get to see the famous balloons.
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Storm threatens holiday travel "We came all the way from Puerto Rico to see the parade, so it will be a disappointment if we can't see the balloons," said Jose Ramirez, who was in New York with his family.
The Snoopy balloon for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is partially inflated on Wednesday, November 27, in New York. High winds may keep the balloons on the ground during Thursday's parade. 
Technicians wear rain suits while inflating the Aflac balloon. 
Sightseers photograph the balloons, including Spiderman and Pikachu, on the night before the parade. 
The Kool-Aid Man and Ronald McDonald rest snug in their nets as crowds line up to see the balloons. 
Sandbags hold the Elf on a Shelf balloon down as workers prepare in hopes the balloons will get to fly. 
Spongebog Squarepants is among the balloons scheduled to appear in the parade. 
Buzz Lightyear is readied for the parade. Photos: Balloons prepared for Macy's parade The same goes for the Mastandano family.
"They have to fly," said Joely Mastandano. "Somebody has to make them fly."
Parade officials had good reason for being cautious.
In 1997, a woman spent more than three weeks in a coma after the Cat in the Hat balloon -- tossed by heavy winds -- struck a pole that hit her. In 2005, two other people were hurt in a similar incident involving the M&Ms balloon.
Wind gauges will line the route to make sure it's not too breezy, according to New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.
"We have a sergeant assigned to each of the balloons," Kelly said. "They can be lowered all the way to the ground."
It's Thanksgiving
You got where you needed to go. Now, it's time to get what you need to get.
First turkey, then holiday gifts.
Let's start with the weather. It was a bust -- but in a good way.
Except for a few areas where heavy snow fell, this week's wintry storm system was more of a nuisance than anything to most Americans.
Early reports had us thinking flights would be stranded and roads too slick to travel on, especially in the Northeast.
Not quite.
Cold weather and blustery winds are the leftovers from this storm.
Faring well
Planes and trains fared well as the storm slipped to the north. No major delays were reported.
That was good news for people like Latasha Abney, who joined the more than 43 million Americans expected by AAA to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Abney said Wednesday that she arrived more than two hours early at Washington's Reagan National Airport to catch a flight to New York's JFK on Wednesday.
"Security was a breeze," she said. "I walked right up, the TSA agent checked my info ... Happy Thanksgiving!!!!"
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Amtrak reported no major delays across its system. Using the weather as a marketing tool, the nation's rail system was adding seats on some routes.
"Rail travel remains one of the most reliable and comfortable transportation options, especially in weather conditions that negatively impact other modes," Amtrak said.
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Deadly roads
Although planes were in the air and trains were on track, automobiles were having a tougher time on the northern fringes of the nation.
Up to a foot of snow fell in parts of Pennsylvania, and it was falling from upstate New York into Canada, where more than a foot was possible. Snow also continued to fly in the central Appalachians and around the Great Lakes as cold air moved in and produced lake-effect snows.
Road conditions were not great in much of the Northeast.
Over the last week, 12 people died, most of them in car crashes, as the storm system iced roads from the Rockies to Texas and Oklahoma. More than 100 vehicles ended up in wrecks.
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Black Friday, or is that Thursday?
Travel? Check. Turkey? Check. Now it's time to shop.
All the buzz is about Black Friday, at least for serious shoppers.
But it's a bit of a misnomer. More and more, Black Friday is becoming Black Thursday.
Kmart is the early bird with a 6 a.m. opening, and will stay open 41 straight hours.
"People don't just want to sit at home all day on Thanksgiving. They want to get out and do things, shop," said Bill Bonsor, the Kmart store manager in Mableton, Georgia. "It's just evolved into a bigger shopping day -- almost as big a shopping day as Black Friday."
Other retailers like Toys R Us, Walmart, Macy's, Kohl's, J.C. Penney and Sears wait until Thursday evening to open their doors.
Electronics are again popular "doorbuster" items. Look for specials on TVs, Kindles, iPads and other tablets.
Not wanting to miss out on such deals, some folks had already pitched tents outside the Best Buy in Burbank, California, on Wednesday.
"It's mainly for the experience," said Gabbie Slayton. "Because it's been a tradition for six years."
A passerby chastised the group for not being home with their families, but Tim Gaze defended the outing.
"So, you're focused on your family, and, if your family all comes to shop, then that's fine."
Gobble, gobble and Happy Thanksgiving.
CNN's Jason Carroll, Ben Brumfield, Dave Hennen, Aaron Cooper, Alexandra Field, Shannon Travis and Greg Botelho contributed to this report.
via CNN.com - Top Stories http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_topstories/~3/gWJ2FoJubdI/index.html
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