It wasn’t the North Pole — but it sure felt like it.
Santa Claus was right at home in the blustery Big Apple on Thursday as thousands suffered through bone-chilling conditions to revel in the coldest-ever Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
With a low of 19 degrees and wind chills in the single digits, this Turkey Day tied the city’s chilliest ever recorded, in 1901.
The first parade was in 1924.
All of the route’s 16 helium-filled balloons flew, albeit noticeably lower than in previous years — and despite forecasts of sustained winds of up to 20 mph and gusts of 30 mph.
Shivering sightseers tucked into sleeping bags and covered themselves in fleece blankets along the 46 blocks to catch a glimpse of Olaf from “Frozen,” Pikachu, Charlie Brown, a quartet of Troll dolls and, in his traditional slot as the parade’s caboose, Kris Kringle.
“All the balloons were really low to the ground because of the wind,” noticed Trisha Rodriguez, 36, who came from Texas to watch her first Macy’s parade. “Some bumped the ground a couple times — but it was awesome because they were much closer. You didn’t have to look up as much.”
As Ronald McDonald floated down Sixth Avenue, his foot nearly grazed a lamppost, while the Pillsbury Doughboy’s portly tummy hovered just above the ground as handlers took extra care in guiding their mascots.
Even the usually mighty (morphin’) red Power Ranger was no match for the windy weather.
“The Power Rangers balloon was super wobbly,” Rodriguez said. “They had to slow down to pull it the right way. It kept dipping.”
The crowd cheered whenever the hundreds of volunteers steered their balloons against the gusts. Some paradegoers warned Charlie Brown’s handlers to “hold on tight!”
Officials were ready to ground the balloons entirely if winds exceeded 23 mph and gusts surpassed 34 mph.
Early bird Tommy Onolfo wasn’t the least bit deterred by the cold — he arrived at the parade route at 5:30 a.m. dressed head-to-toe in a turkey costume.
“I’m excited for everything — the balloons, the excitement, the hype,” the befeathered enthusiast, 36, said.
This was the 25th Macy’s parade for Kevin Canwell, 59, who said he was most looking forward to seeing Ronald McDonald.
“It was great weather last year. This year, not as much,” Canwell said, his nose red.
The three-hour parade snaked down Central Park West, across West 59th Street, then onto Sixth Avenue on its way to its destination in front of Macy’s Herald Square on West 34th Street.
It included performances by Diana Ross, John Legend, Martina McBride and The Muppets — and a special cameo by a romantic who got down on one knee to propose to his bundled-up girlfriend, according to a tweet by the NYPD’s 19th Precinct.
