Rain, severe weather threatens last days of Mardi Gras

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - The Mardi Gras celebration is in full swing in Mobile, but the good times could come to a screeching halt if severe weather rolls through our area this weekend.

That's not the news folks want to hear on the biggest carnival weekend of the year.

Thousands turned out for the Mystics of Time parade in downtown Mobile Saturday. With forecasters predicting several inches of rain from Joe Cain Sunday through Fat Tuesday, it could be the last big parade of the carnival season.

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Clear skies graced revelers all day Saturday, like James and Shelia Mastberger, who were visiting from Iowa.

"It was four below when we left home," Mastberger said.

"The weather is wonderful and we love it," his wife said.

"We actually came down for the ship tour, and we ended up staying for the parade and it was wonderful, and we're back today. And Mobile has the best parades," Theresa Walker said.

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For some, the threat of bad weather was on their minds.

None are more concerned than the vendors. This is Yvette Linder’s third year at Mardi Gras as a vendor. Linder, of Grand Bay, says even if there's not enough rain to cancel the parades it will shut her booth down.

"I won't be here, no, no. I don't want to chance my stuff getting messed up," Linder said.

Mobile Police said the decision of whether or not to cancel a parade is up to the parading organization and the police department.

The story was the same for Deborah Stewart who came down from Nashville, hoping for some good sales this Mardi Gras. She’s also hoping for some good weather, though she’d heard about the possibility of rain.

"I have and I'm sad. And I'm hearing that they're closing down the parades if does rain, of course that (makes) a vendor very sad," Stewart said.

Still, the vendors we talked with are trying to remain optimistic. They said, after a slow start the first week, business is just starting to pick up.  They can only hope the rain will hold off and let the good times roll on for a few more days.

"I'm hoping it don't,” vendor Terry Bean said. “We just have to wait and see."