World’s Largest Hot-Air Balloon Fest Relies On Don Day’s Weather Forecasts

Don Day has been studying and forecasting Wyoming’s wild weather for decades. For the next nine days, he's responsible for another act of weather wizardry by helping keep hundreds of hot-air balloons safely soaring over Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Day will keep his eyes on the skies during the 2025 Balloon Fiesta, an annual event that attracts balloonists and enthusiasts from around the world. While they dot the skies over Albuquerque, Day will be on the ground providing weather reports and monitoring incoming systems to ensure everyone soars safely.

“It’s been the biggest event in Albuquerque for over 50 years,” Day said. “There's going to be nearly 600 hot-air balloons from all over the world, and tens of thousands of people come out for every day of it. It’s like the Cheyenne Frontier Days of Albuquerque.”

Up, Up, And Away

Day is an experienced meteorologist and a hot-air balloon pilot. This unique skill set means there’s an international demand for his expertise at big balloon events.

In September 2024, Day traveled abroad to assist three United States teams in the 2024 Gordon Bennett Cup. It’s the oldest gas balloon race in the world that predates the Wright Brothers’ 1903 first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

When YouTube star MrBeast wanted to send a T-Mobile story into the stratosphere, Day was hired to find the best day, weather-wise, to safely send over 500 cluster balloons into the skies of North Carolina.

“Some people have niches in terms of what they do for their careers,” Day said. “Balloon weather is an extremely small niche, but it keeps me busy.”

Day’s job at Albuquerque’s Balloon Fiesta is more straightforward. He’ll be the ultimate weather authority during the nine-day event, monitoring conditions and consulting pilots on how it will impact their airtime.

“My job is to give a daily weather briefing to the balloon pilots,” he said. “I’ll also be advising the Balloon Fiesta committee, the people who run the event, about what the potential weather hazards are going to be each day.”

Safety is the top priority. Day’s mastery of weather forecasting and balloon expertise will be essential in ensuring everyone has a great time while minimizing the risk of weather-related hazards.

“Of all aircraft, the balloon is obviously the most sensitive to the weather,” he said. “When you put 600 balloons up in the air at once, you’ve got to keep an eye on the weather and make sure that you're doing your best not to let the weather become a safety hazard.”

Balloon Bonanza

The Balloon Fiesta is more than a bunch of hot-air balloons. Over the nine days, Day said there will be plenty to see and do from dawn to dusk.

“It's just not hot-air balloons in the mornings,” he said. “They do ‘balloon blows’ in the evening, firework shows, and drone displays. It’s a big regional attraction, and a big draw to Albuquerque every October.”

There will also be competitive events. Pilots won’t be navigating across continents, like they do during the Gordon Bennett Cut, but they will use their skills for some spectator sports.

“Some balloonists will go into what's called competitions, where they do a variety of different tasks,” he said. “There's something called a pole grab, where they put up a pole in the middle of the field, and you can win a new pickup truck if you fly your balloon and can grab the keys on the pole. There are a lot of different things that they can do competitively, but the balloons stay within the Albuquerque area.”

The main draw is the morning balloon launch. All the balloons will take off at the same time and rise over Albuquerque, landing at different places around town.

“People love to see all the colorful balloons in the air at once,” Day said. “It’s quite a sight to see.”

Ground Control

Although he’s an experienced balloon pilot, Day won’t be doing any aerial activities during the Balloon Fiesta. His job requires his full and grounded attention.

“They do the Balloon Fiesta in early October because you tend to have decent weather in New Mexico, especially in early October,” he said. “That does lend itself to being a good time of year for this event.”

That doesn’t mean it’s all clear skies and perfect ballooning weather for the duration of the event. Day will be monitoring incoming systems day and night, inherently understanding how that weather will impact ballooning.

“The same system that's coming through the Rockies this weekend is going to affect the weather in New Mexico, causing some wind and thunderstorms,” he said. “Inevitably, you have some days where the weather isn't good to fly.”

Bad weather isn’t only detrimental to the balloons in the air, but also to the hundreds of thousands of people watching them from the ground. Day’s forecasting will let everyone know what they’re in for, and whether they can stand on the sun, stay inside, or seek shelter.

However, Day won’t be making on-the-fly decisions. That’s up to each balloon’s “pilot in command.”

“The pilot in command is responsible for making all the decisions and understanding the weather and aviation rules that surround flying a hot-air balloon,” he said. “I make sure they have a good understanding of the basic weather pattern that they're in and keep track of any hazards while they decide what to do.”

Going Up?

Day isn’t sure if there will be balloons over Albuquerque on all nine days of the 2025 Balloon Fiesta. If history’s any guide, there will be at least one day when it’s not good weather for ballooning.

“It's rare when you get to fly every day, although that happened last year,” he said. “In 2024, the weather was good every day of the event. It was crazy, but that's unusual.”

And will Wyoming’s weatherman soar over Albuquerque? He usually doesn’t, but he won’t pass up an opportunity.

“Most likely, I won’t be able to fly,” he said. “I'm a hot-air balloon pilot as well, which helps me understand the very intricate part that weather plays. But I usually don’t go up when I’m in Albuquerque.”

In addition to the national and international pilots bringing their balloons to the Balloon Fiesta, Day knows some Wyomingites who will be there. If the weather holds, he might get some airtime.

“If the opportunity comes and I’m able to get in a basket with somebody, I'll certainly do it,” he said.

The event runs from Saturday, October 4 through Sunday, October 12.

Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.