Will Saturday’s De Soto Parade get rained out again? Here’s the plan and forecast
For the thousands planning to attend Saturday’s De Soto Grand Parade in downtown Bradenton, an umbrella might be needed for potential rainy weather.
The National Weather Service is forecasting a front arriving Friday that could yield 30 to 40% chance of rain throughout Saturday.
“But likely not any sort of severe weather,” said National Weather Service Tampa Bay senior meteorologist Nicole Carlisle. “It’s just going to be passing showers here and there.”
The parade, which begins at 7 p.m. at Manatee High School and takes about three hours to conclude in downtown Bradenton, was canceled in 2022 for stormy weather.
Shannon Glasgow, chairman of the Conquistador Historical Foundation, told the Herald this week it’s too difficult to reschedule if the weather is bad due to logistics involved in planning the parade.
“Unfortunately you’ve got one shot at it,” Glasgow said. “It was a tough decision last year, but I think we made the right call for everyone’s safety.”
Carlisle, who has 15 years experience, said it’s still early for Saturday’s forecast.
“It’s still Wednesday,” Carlisle said. “So we have time to hopefully get the forecast a little more buttoned down before Saturday. If this pattern still holds, then yeah like I said there probably will be some passing showers and maybe a few thunderstorms here and there.”
“We have another system that looks like it’s going to come in on Sunday and Sunday night even. If the timing of that system were to change, that could obviously impact Saturday. But that’s not likely to happen I would say. I’m pretty confident what I’m telling you about Saturday is going to hold.”
To forecast an area, the National Weather Service looks at a 2.5-kilometer grid area.
“So three out of 10 times, that area will get rain or four out of 10 times if it’s 40%,” Carlisle said. “So I guess it’s probability you would say.”
The 2.5-mile parade, which boasts more than 180 entries participating and is one of Bradenton’s oldest traditions, is the second biggest in Florida behind the Gasparilla Parade of Pirates in Tampa.
Glasgow said the De Soto parade has a good weather record with it only getting rained out a few times in its long history.
