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A stalled weather front is bringing the chance of heavier rainfall and the threat of severe weather on Tuesday. However, paraders and parade-goers alike will have to wait until Tuesday morning to learn the fate of the final day of parades.
Homeland Security Director Col. Jerry Sneed also says the Fat Tuesday parades are still scheduled to roll, and that authorities will assess the weather situation early in the morning.
"We're looking at rolling Zulu at 8:00, with Rex following at 10:00...then watching very, very closely at the afternoon," Sneed said. "The rain may not be our friend in the afternoon."
Jefferson and St. Tammany officials are also taking a wait-and-see approach, with local officials in those parishes also making a final decision tomorrow morning.
Mardi Gras Guide publisher Arthur Hardy tells WWL Radio that unlike the Metairie cancellations, which he calls "unusual," the rest of the Metro-area parades will be a last-minute decision.
"As of now, everything is scheduled to go on track for Tuesday," Hardy told us. "Normally, the captains and the police wait until the very last minute to pull the plug on a parade. So, I don't think we're going to know anything until near parade time tomorrow...Unless we have a complete washout, tornado warnings, then you would make that decision earlier. But I'm not looking for anything to happen tonight."
Forecasters all agree that the potential for severe weather is likely for Tuesday, but the forecast models are not in complete agreement about when the worst of the weather will arrive.
"Historically, (the decision not to roll) is no earlier than a couple of hours before the parade is set to roll...It's a timing issue more than anything else," he said. "They've always wanted to give themselves as much leeway as possible."
