It might be a children’s rhyme, but I and every other person scheduled to ride in a parade through next Tuesday is hoping that the rain that may or may not be scheduled for Wednesday through Mardi Gras Day will dissipate like, well, like clouds in the sky.
I am in particular worried about (as it’s called in my world) Muses Thursday. (I know that there are other parades on Thursday, but as a member of Muses, that’s the one about which I’m concerned.)
I’ve ridden in the rain before, and Muses has been delayed by rain before. My sister-in-law, who now rides next to me, asked me yesterday if I’m worried about the forecast. I told her, and I’m here to tell you all, “There’s no reason to be worried.” There’s no reason because it isn’t up to us. It’s up to the NOPD working with each krewe’s Captain to make the best decision for the krewe, the people lined up to watch the parades and the city.
In addition – and my apologies to meteorologists ahead of time – who can tell when it’s going to rain to the hour, especially in New Orleans where it might be raining in the Irish Channel but not in the Garden District, or raining in Bywater but not in Marigny?
For example, for Thursday, when you put in “70115” for your location Weather Underground has an 80 percent chance of precipitation, while The Weather Channel has only 60; the National Weather Service shows, if I can read this map correctly, around a 35 percent chance; WDSU shows a “chance” of rain; and AccuWeather has only a 14 percent chance in the evening and overnight.
So, prepare (i.e. have your krewe-approved ponchos and rain boots ready) but don’t be worried. So your throws might be wet; so wet plastic bags stick to everything; so the crowds might be smaller than if it’s clear and 70 degrees…so what!
Throws and humans dry, plastic bags should be recycled and the people who really want to see the parade will be there rain or shine.
This is our time to shine and party and catch things we don’t need and fight for beads we don’t want to store and celebrate ourselves and our city and our history. This is Carnival!
