VIDEO: Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans could be canceled as severe storms rumble through the South, bringing strong winds and the threat of tornadoes Tuesday. Parades have already been scheduled to take place earlier than planned and some events have been canceled in the Big Easy as thunderstorms will roll through the city, bringing damaging winds over 60 mph and possibly small hail, the National Weather Service office in New Orleans forecasts. Tornadoes could reach a rating of EF-2, with winds of between 111 and 135 mph. The severe weather is expected to hit in the afternoon into evening, moving west to east. A high wind warning covers southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi — including Baton Rouge, Jefferson Parish and New Orleans — from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. CT, according to the weather service. It comes as millions of tourists and locals bedecked in beads, costumes, and purple, yellow and green have flocked to the party city to revel in raucous Fat Tuesday festivities including iconic parades, music and food.
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