Rainy weekend forecast in store for 'No Kings' protests, DC Army parade
Rain and thunderstorms could put a damper on a massive military parade on President Donald Trump's birthday in the nation's capital and hundreds of protests around the country planned for Saturday, forecasters said.
Much of the central and eastern parts of the country will experience showers on Friday and through the weekend, with the greatest risk for rain and thunderstorms in southeast Texas, the Mid-South and portions of Virginia, the National Weather Service said. A large area spanning from Chicago to Washington, D.C. will be covered by a slow-moving system expected to bring daily showers and storms.
The storms are in time for the planned parade in D.C. celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, also falling on Trump's 79th birthday. The parade costs $40 million and will feature tanks and troops rolling through downtown with Trump looking on from a specially built reviewing stand.
The same day, protests are planned in 1,800 communities in all 50 states are expected to be the largest and most numerous anti-Trump demonstrations since he took office in his second term. The so-called "No Kings Day" protests will center with the largest in Philadelphia, where forecasters said Saturday will look "cloudy, showery, drizzly, and humid."
Here's what the weather will look like for this Saturday's day of demonstrations:
Will it rain on Trump's parade?
The Army's anniversary event is set to begin at 8:15 a.m. on Saturday with a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. The morning and afternoon will be filled with a fitness competition, music performances, an event recognizing Medal of Honor recipients and a ceremony with cake cutting.
The festivities then transition into a parade in the evening. The parade will start on Constitution Avenue in downtown D.C. at 6:30 p.m. and last until 7:45 or 8 p.m. It will be followed by an enlistment ceremony and fireworks.
Forecasters at the National Weather Service in the Baltimore-Washington office said D.C. will see drizzling rain and showers for much of the day on Saturday. In the morning through 11 a.m., there will be areas of drizzle. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., eventgoers should expect showers, and a possible thunderstorm after 2 p.m. Rain during the day could amount to between one-tenth and one-quarter of an inch, forecasters said. The high temperature is expected at 83 degrees.
There is about a 75% chance of precipitation and a chance of thunder after 6 p.m. when the parade is scheduled.
The region will be coming off a flood watch in effect starting Friday night evening through the overnight hours, when the D.C. metro area is expected to get 1 to 3 inches of rain, with some areas seeing as much as 5 inches.
Many 'No Kings' protests could see rainy weather
With much of the country expecting rain showers and thunderstorms, many of the protests planned for Saturday could get caught in bad weather. Temperatures are expected to range from highs in the 60s and 70s in the Northeast to the triple digits in some parts of the Southwest.
In Philadelphia, where the largest No Kings Day protest is planned to kick off at about noon, forecasters said the high temperature is expected to be 72 degrees and showers are likely on Saturday. A possible thunderstorm could also roll through after 2 p.m. The chance of precipitation is 60% during the day Saturday.
There is also a risk of scattered severe thunderstorms with large hail and damaging wind gusts across parts of the central and northern High Plains on Saturday afternoon and evening, the Storm Prediction Center said. Parts of the southern and central Plains could also be hit with storms. Cities in the areas of most risk include Rapid City, South Dakota; North Platte, Nebraska; Gillette, Wyoming; Sheridan, Wyoming; and Spearfish, South Dakota. All those cities have planned No Kings Day demonstrations, according to organizers.