A third consecutive day of rain is not expected to affect today’s parade schedule, Mardi Gras planners said.

“Everything is still set to roll as scheduled,” said Katie Harrington, president of Mardi Gras SWLA. “We’ll keep watching it, keep working with the National Weather Service and with city officials to determine if a change needs to be made.”

The Hot Rods, Classics and Motorcyles Parade is scheduled for 1 p.m. and the Krewe of Krewes Parade for 5 p.m.

There is an 80 percent chance of rain this morning, according to Donald Jones, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles. The cold front that passed through the area has stalled near the coast, bringing the rain, he said. The rain is expected to slow by the afternoon, although there is still 30-40 percent chance, he said.

“It’s going to be fairly similar to what we’ve seen today, except a little more widespread in coverage,” Jones said. “If you’re going out to the parades, take an umbrella.”

Harrington said the rain didn’t affect Sunday’s Mardi Gras events, which included Children’s Day and the Children’s Parade.

“Because it held off so long it didn’t affect our number of floats. We had over 100 floats in the parade,” Harrington said. “Rain or shine, we can roll, it’s just if it’s severe weather, it becomes another issue.

“Overall, we’ve had a really good weekend, we’ve had good crowds at all the events and we’re looking forward to finishing it off strong,” she said.

(American Press Archives)

Brad Puckett