Strong winds slow, but don't stop, Balloon Fiesta mass ascension

Nakayla McClelland Nakayla McClelland Nakayla McClelland Journalist

Published October 5, 2024 - 12:30 p.m. Modified October 7, 2024 - 11:08 a.m.

Harsh early morning winds threatened to halt the first day of the 52nd Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, but visitors were able to breathe a sigh of relief when they saw a bright green flag signal the beginning of mass ascension.

Saturday kicked off the Balloon Fiesta. Waking up at 3 a.m. can be difficult with cold mornings, but Albuquerque welcomed guests with an above-average temperature of 61 degrees and winds of 6 mph. Fiestagoers were shrouded in darkness in the early hours of the day until the sun peeked out from behind the Sandia Mountains around 6:50 a.m., seemingly just in time for the opening ceremony.

All seemed well until guests looked toward the main stage and saw a yellow flag, indicating that balloons were on a delay. According to Makayla Robinson, director of Garrity Group public relations, meteorologists reported strong winds that would be too difficult to fly in. Pilots gather roughly an hour before balloon launch to evaluate weather conditions for the day.

If any of these conditions happen, the Balloon Fiesta will be postponed or canceled: Winds faster than 10 knots (approximately 11.5 mph); less than 3 miles of visibility; clouds below 1,500 feet; and rain.

Guests and pilots were gathered at Balloon Fiesta Park waiting for winds to slow before attempting to put balloons in the sky. Visitors reported major traffic jams, with some saying it took an hour or longer to get through traffic and into the park. At 7:33 a.m., fiesta workers announced that balloons would begin to fill with hot air and take to the skies, and the yellow flag was brought down and replaced with a green one.

Although conditions were better for ballooning, not all balloons went up.

"The delay today was to allow the wind speed to decrease," Balloon Fiesta spokesman Tom Garrity said. "There was a layer at 1,000 feet that we were keeping an eye on, as the sun peeked over the Sandia Mountains, the wind speeds were within acceptable parameters for a launch. We had a number of balloons that launched from the field and balloon pilots who opted to provide a static display, including Darth Vader and Spider Pig."

But some balloonists decided wind conditions were not suitable to take flight. Others had varying issues with their balloon.