New Orleans rushes to rework Mardi Gras celebrations in the face of
storm and twister warnings
[March 04, 2025]
By JEFF MARTIN and JACK BROOK
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Officials rushed to reschedule Mardi Gras
celebrations and warned revelers against brining umbrellas and tents as
powerful storms with a threat of tornadoes were expected to strike
Louisiana and other parts of the South on Tuesday.
New Orleans moved up its two biggest Mardi Gras Day parades and cut down
their routes to try to avoid the potentially destructive weather. Police
were also expected to keep the hundreds of participants and dozens of
floats moving quickly so they finished before winds were predicted to
pick up, according to New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne
Kirkpatrick.
The alarming forecast was one of the first big tests for the National
Weather Service after hundreds of forecasters were fired last week as
part of President Donald Trump's moves to slash the size of the federal
government. Former employees said the firing of meteorologists who make
crucial local forecasts across the U.S. could put lives at risk.
Country faces a number of weather threats
The U.S. was facing multiple weather threats, including dust storms that
brought near-zero visibility to parts of New Mexico and west Texas on
Monday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue Dust Storm
Warnings. “Widespread blowing dust" was expected Tuesday, said the
weather service office covering Midland and Odessa, Texas.
The week's strong weather system will bring “a threat of blizzard
conditions, high winds, flash flooding, severe weather, dust storms, and
critical to extreme fire weather conditions to the nation’s heartland,”
according to a weather service update Monday.
On Tuesday, twisters, damaging winds and large hail were all possible as
a strong storm system was set to move across the nation's midsection
into Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, the federal Storm Prediction
Center warned.
The bullseye for a heightened risk of severe weather was an area
stretching from east Texas to Alabama that’s home to more than 7 million
people. Cities under threat included Baton Rouge and Shreveport in
Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; and Mobile, Alabama.
New Orleans braces for severe weather during Mardi Gras
The New Orleans area was also preparing for strong storms, though Fat
Tuesday's traditionally raucous annual rite of parades of floats and
costumed merrymakers remained scheduled to hit the streets, with some
changes still being worked out by authorities and leaders of “krewes” —
social clubs that organize the parades.
Kirkpatrick ordered parade-goers to not bring umbrellas, tents or
“anything that could fly in the wind and cause mayhem.” She warned that
she may need to cancel the parades at the last minute if the weather
gets worse.
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Louisiana festival queens from across the state ride in a float
during the Krewe of Bacchus parade in New Orleans, Sunday, March 2,
2025. (Chris Granger/The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate via
AP)
“I hold that trump card in which I will not hesitate to cancel — I
won’t do it lightly, but I will do it,” she said.
Two other parades that had been scheduled to roll through the city
later on Tuesday with nearly 200 truck floats were postponed,
Kirkpatrick said.
Just outside New Orleans in neighboring Jefferson Parish, officials
canceled planned Mardi Gras Day parades due to anticipated high
winds and thunderstorms.
“This is disappointing, but our top priority is ensuring the
well-being of everyone in our community, and we must always
prioritize safety above all else,” Jefferson Parish President
Cynthia Lee Sheng said in a statement.
Mardi Gras floats “could become unstable” and heavy winds could
“blow down trees and power lines,” the National Weather Service
warned, adding gusts of up to 60 mph (97 kph) were expected Tuesday
afternoon.
In Pointe Coupee Parish, near Louisiana’s capital city of Baton
Rouge, the incoming weather forced drastic changes to one of the
oldest Mardi Gras celebrations in the state. The parade there was
scheduled to roll without any bands, marching teams or dance groups
— a staple of Carnival Season parades.
Officials also moved the parade start time up and urged residents to
immediately remove all tents and trash after the parade ends “due to
the dangers they can present during weather.”
Other cities with Mardi Gras parades watching forecasts
Elsewhere, large crowds were expected Tuesday for Mardi Gras
celebrations in Mobile, Alabama. Police there said they were
continuing to monitor the forecast and would let the public know if
plans for the celebration changed.
Other cities hosting large Mardi Gras events included Biloxi,
Mississippi, where an annual Mardi Gras parade was scheduled to
start at 1 p.m. Tuesday.
In downtown Pensacola in the Florida Panhandle, organizers were
planning a Big Easy-style Mardi Gras festival that included food
trucks, dancing, live entertainment and a low country seafood boil.
_____
Martin reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writers Sara Cline in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Freida Frisaro in Miami and Susan Montoya
Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed.
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