Monday, December 24, 2012

Christmas Eve bonfires may be postponed due to inclement weather ...

If the weather doesn't improve by Monday afternoon, plans for lighting the beloved Christmas Eve bonfires in St. James Parish may go up in smoke. Scattered thunderstorms and?strong wind warnings, as well as?the possibility of tornadoes,?are giving St. James Parish authorities pause about igniting the 110 bonfires residents began constructing along the levee in Lutcher and Gramercy just after Thanksgiving. The lighting ceremony is set to begin?tonight at?7 p.m. sharp; but?at this juncture, whether or not it will proceed as planned is anyone's guess.

"If the weather stays like it is right now, we can probably light; the question is, if the rain comes, how much wind will come with it," Gramercy Fire Chief David Dettillier said Monday morning. "If it gets postponed, we'll light them on?New Year's Eve. But right now,?it isn't looking good."

According to St. James Parish Emergency Preparedness Director Eric Deroche, the lighting of the bonfires is typically cancelled in the event of a brisk south wind, accompanied by dry weather, to prevent ash and ember from blowing onto residents' homes.?Today's forecast, he says, predicts such a wind, and?without rain at the time the event would begin.

"The majority of the bad weather seems to be for later tonight and tomorrow," said Deroche, who Monday morning had a conference call with the National Weather Service. "As of right now, no decision has been made as far as cancelling. We have an internal parish conference call later this afternoon, and we'll make a decision about what we're going to do then. It looks like there's wind, and we don't see rain anywhere, but the weather can always change."

Stay with Nola.com for updates throughout the day.

Source: http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2012/12/christmas_eve_bonfires_may_be.html

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