Happy Ash Wednesday! We made it through a frigid Carnival season but not without breaking the 122 year standing record for coldest ever Mardi Gras! As temperatures barely topped freezing, revelers bundled up upon stepping outside.
Over these past few Carnival Seasons, our forecast for New Orleans has been warmer than yesterday.
Although 2021 looked very different, the weather we had may have kept you from attending a bunch of parades, anyway!
As a fun lesson on historical Mardi Gras climatology for you, guess which Fat Tuesday was the coldest on record until 2021?
February 14, 1899 was, previously, the coldest Mardi Gras on record with a 38 degree high, 22 degree low, and a bit of snow along Rex’s parade route.
That year, prior to Rex’s royal roll, crews had to clear nearly three inches of snowfall off his route on the dual Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras Day.
Now, this has been outdone as temperatures only reached one degree above freezing across New Orleans just 24 hours ago.
Highs only reached 33 degrees, 5 degrees colder than Mardi Gras day was 122 years ago. The forecast for this year’s purple, green, and COLD Fat Tuesday certainly verified!