The 2022 De Soto Grand Parade is canceled for stormy weather, organizers say
The 2022 De Soto Grand Parade has been canceled because of stormy weather, officials said Saturday afternoon.
The event is canceled “due to the weather conditions and the safety of everyone attending or in the parade,” the Hernando Historical De Soto Society posted on Facebook at 3:12 p.m. Saturday.
“Because of the rain, hail and lightning, we don’t want to take a chance of getting anybody hurt,” Historical Society President Robert Riccardo told the Bradenton Herald. “Bradenton loves the parade, but our number one goal is to keep the people who attended the parade and those in it safe.”
The parade was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and roll from Manatee High School to downtown.
“It will not be rescheduled this year,” the Bradenton Police Department posted on Facebook.
“It’ll be too hard to reschedule a parade like the De Soto parade,” Riccardo said. “ It’ll be like trying to reschedule the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.”
Skies darkened and it began raining heavily in the Bradenton area after 2 p.m. The National Weather Service in Tampa forecast scattered showers and thunderstorms through the evening.
The storms could bring gusty winds, small hail, lightning and brief heavy rainfall.
Slow moving storms could quickly drop 1-3 inches of rain, the weather service said, and isolated higher amounts could reach 3-5 inches.
This story will update with more details as they are available.
Weather forecast for Bradenton
Saturday afternoon: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. South wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 8 p.m, then scattered showers and thunderstorms between 8 p.m and 11 p.m. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 67. East wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Sunday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 5 p.m. Sunny, with a high near 85. East wind 6 to 9 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Sunday night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 68. North northwest wind around 7 mph becoming east after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Monday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Sunny, with a high near 87. East southeast wind 6 to 10 mph becoming south southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
— National Weather Service in Tampa
This story was originally published April 30, 2022 at 3:47 PM.
