Spring Warmth Lingers, Winter Returns Sunday, Back To Coats & Sweaters

 This had to rank right up there as the best Mardi Gras weather for parades in memory.  I've been here for 48 years and to have none of the major parades rained on is very unusual.  It always seems that some/many Krewes just have bad luck.  But not this year as the rains came over night on Saturday and were gone by daybreak on Sunday.  Monday & Tuesday were near perfect and I enjoyed watching Rex from a beautiful home on Napoleon Ave. with my special partner Valerie.

The Rex floats were colorful and much smaller than the big super Krewes, but they kept up the Rex tradition.  I was fortunate to meet a new friend (Robert) who owns a home 2 doors from the new Rex toasting stage.  Food, Family, Bathrooms and of course crawfish!

To borrow a line from the late Jackie Gleason..."Oh how sweet it is!"  Hail Mardi Gras 2026! Don't get use to this warm weather as we are not done with Winter.  Currently, the upper pattern has the trough over the West bringing them much needed rain & snow.  Look how that trough will flip to the Eastern states for next week.

The top & middle graphics are the current pattern while the bottom is valid for next Monday.  Why is that important?  Because it brings back the northerly flow out of Canada where it is still very cold.

What I'll be watching for over the next 2 days is whether the eastern trough deepens.  Right now, it does not keeping the core of the cold away from us.  Any freezes next week should be confined to the North Shore.  It's a reminder for gardeners that we can see frost/freezes well into mid March.  Don't start planting tomatoes yet!  Until Saturday, we stay warm.

See the Arctic cold over Montana with below zero temps.  We need to pay attention during the next several days to make sure that airmass doesn't plunge over us.

We will be flirting with record warmth for the next 3 days, but then you see what's coming.  There will not be any severe threat with the front on Sunday as the main upper energy stays well to our north.  Stay tuned!

Models Nailed The Timing, Bark Worse Than Bite, Hail Endymion!

It was pretty impressive watching the computer models predict the timing of our weekend rains 4-5 days ahead of time.  Models shifted/delayed the rain threat slightly from their initial forecast, but all in all, they nailed it coming over night Friday and gone before Saturday's parades.  I attended Endymion, but this time it was down on the street.  For 30 years, I rode with the Grand Marshal's float and then enjoyed the festivities in the Super Dome. This year was a different experience being down in the crowds of people who were eating, drinking, and having a good time hours before the parade arrived.

I was with my new partner Valerie and she made sure the old Bob Breck was back.

If you have never been to a night parade, it's quite the experience as all the floats are now using LED lighting that is spectacular.  It begins with the horses but quickly picks up into the multi-decked floats, the first one saluting the late Ed Muniz, the founding Captain of the Krewe.

From there, it was all eye candy.

After 38 floats, I was exhausted but grateful for being there to see and experience Mardi Gras at its finest.  Hail Endymion!!!  Before I get into the coming weather, let me recap the past severe threat, which I consider was over hyped by SPC and local broadcasters.

 

I had mentioned the likelihood that the strong squall line would weaken as it approached us. It actually held together all the way into Florida, but there was only one storm report near Folsom, where some minor roof damage was reported.  The highest wind gust locally was 44 mph at Lakefront Airport.  My point being, if you cry wolf for every time a slight chance for severe weather approaches, and the "wolf" never comes. Then you lose the public's trust for future storm threats.  Just my opinion, but it's why you follow this blog.  Today we got hosed by lingering low clouds.

With the low cloud deck, temperatures have struggled to reach 60.  However, the winds are light, and these are not rain clouds.  Tonight's parade weather looks great IF you're dressed for it.

You can see the warming trend back to our west.  IF we can break out of the low clouds on Tuesday, temps will quickly climb into the 70s.  That's due to the pattern shift that now has the trough along the West Coast with an upper ridge moving over us.

This should keep us warm and dry for the rest of this week.

It's a different story for the West Coast and Rockies.  Much-needed rain & snow has returned with several more storms expected later this week.  For us, we stay warm through Saturday.  Winter is NOT over here as next week we'll need our coats & sweaters again.  Until then, Happy Mardi Gras !!! Stay tuned!