Chilly, Possibly Rainy Saturday for Mardi Gras Parades in Lafayette, Louisiana

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) - Thursday's and Friday's sunny skies are expected to give way to rain Friday night and possibly Saturday morning, with a front leaving the region cold as Mardi Gras officially begins in Lafayette Parish.

Current forecasts show Friday's highs getting to around the mid-60s, but clouds will roll in sometime in the evening with a chance of showers overnight with a low in the mid-40s.

But it won't get much warmer than that on Saturday as temperatures remain in the high 40s or low 50s with a lot of wind - gusting up to 15 to 20 mph.

Carencro Parade

Some forecasts are also warning of early morning showers, which should blow through well before the first parade, in Carencro, kicks off at 10 a.m. There's a slight chance for some rain during the parade, as well.

Chances for rain will linger into the early evening.

Krewe des Chiens

Temperatures will hover in the mid-40s for the Krewe des Chiens parade in downtown Lafayette at noon. There is a slight chance for rain in the noon forecast, but just expect it to be cold and windy.

Krewe of Carnivale en Rio Mardi Gras Parade

The Rio parade will kick off at 6 p.m. Saturday evening, and the route from downtown to Cajun Field looks clearer than the other two parades. Clouds will linger and temperatures will remain low, but the chances for rain appear to be gone by that point.

The temperatures will drop even lower on Sunday, but the clouds will be mostly gone by then. However, the rain and warmer temperatures are expected to return by Tuesday.