NEW ORLEANS – A powerful storm system that is expected to sweep across the Southern Plains and Southeast will head towards the Gulf Coast, raising concerns about its impact on Mardi Gras celebrations.
Mardi Gras is a celebration held in and around New Orleans that concludes before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.
While some parades during the month-long celebration have already been impacted by wet weather, attention is now focused on Fat Tuesday’s events, which kick off around 8 a.m.
As long as the storm system’s timing doesn’t change, parades on March 4 are expected to proceed without any major disruptions, according to event organizers.
(FOX Weather)
They do advise spectators to bring their rain gear just in case showers or thunderstorms move into the area earlier than anticipated.
The National Weather Service’s New Orleans office has created a special web page dedicated to Mardi Gras weather updates and expects the most significant chance of rain to occur between 6 p.m. Tuesday and 6 a.m. Wednesday.
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Fortunately, the timing will allow most Mardi Gras festivities to conclude before impactful weather moves in.
While about a third of all Mardi Gras events typically see rainfall, locals don’t recall a single instance of Fat Tuesday being postponed or canceled due to weather.
Climatological data shows that the rainiest Mardi Gras day occurred on March 1, 1927, when 2.12 inches of precipitation fell, and nearly a third of events experienced some rainfall.
The coldest Mardi Gras ever to take place happened in 1989 when the mercury plummeted to 22 degrees.
City officials and organizers are closely monitoring the forecast, but at this point, the spirits that watch over the Big Easy may allow the festivities to go off without a hitch.
According to locals, major sites around New Orleans tend to close early on Tuesday evening as the city shifts into clean-up mode in preparation for Ash Wednesday.
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Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, occurs after Mardis Gras.
Unlike Easter, most services are held well after sunrise, meaning the worst of the weather will likely have passed through the New Orleans metro area and moved off to the north and east.
Once the cold front moves through, Wednesday is expected to turn pleasant, with highs around 70 degrees and plenty of sunshine.
