Something Wasn't Right
It was anticipated by organizers that the balloons, which were filled with helium, would stay in the air for a period of time before falling back to the ground, deflated. Unfortunately, they were wrong. The storm began, and with it a cold front—the balloons began to descend while still inflated.
Major Distraction
Motorists on the highway were so distracted by the millions of balloons floating overhead that they crashed their cars. Streets and waterways were clogged with balloons; the nearby airport had to shut down due to the number of balloons obscuring the runway.