NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The weather will not impede the Boxing Day Junkanoo Parade, according to Michael Stubbs, chief climatological officer in the Department of Meteorology.
Stubbs comments follow several days of adverse weather conditions in the lead up to the much-anticipated annual event.
“The weather currently doesn’t look promising if we were to watch what’s happening today and yesterday,” Stubbs told Eyewitness News.
“However, it’s going to get better and we’re looking for Junkanoo weather to cooperate come Wednesday, that is Christmas Day.
“And Thursday we expect the weather to cooperate in a great way because we expect it to be pretty good conditions in terms of winds – 10 to 15 knots out of the northeast for the most part during both Christmas Day and Junkanoo morning or Boxing Day.
“We are also looking for it to be sort of a mild temperature around the New Providence vicinity around that time.
“So we are looking for the weather to cooperate with us come this Boxing Day Junkanoo.”
Stubbs explained that there was a low-pressure system that developed near the Gulf of Mexico and moved from west to east across the Florida peninsula and into the northern Bahamas.
He said the system brought “quite a bit of rain” over the area of Grand Bahama, New Providence, Abaco, and Bimini, along with a cold front.
“The weather would be moved away come late tonight or early tomorrow morning,” Stubbs added.
“For the most part we see that it will start to dry up somewhat, so certainly, yes, we are looking for improving conditions coming tonight/tomorrow.
“But of course, for the Christmas Day and Boxing Day, right now as we speak, based on prognostication, or based on the forecast given using the various models that we normally are accustomed to using, we see that the weather is going to cooperate.
“So we would allay any kind of concerns that residents may have right now.”
Last year, the Boxing Day parade was postponed due to expected rain. However, the weather forecasted weather did not materialize.
Then Junkanoo Corporation of New Providence (JCNP) Chairman Silbert Ferguson said the decision to postpone the parade was made by the Junkanoo groups even after the Department of Meteorology gave an all clear.
However, when the weather did not materialize, hundreds of fans took to social media to berate meteorologist Basil Dean for the postponement.
Some people called for Dean’s firing or resignation, while others made jokes, songs and memes over the matter.
The Order of Entry for A Division is: The Valley Boys; Genesis; Roots; Saxons Superstars; One Family; and Prodigal Sons.
For B Division, entry on Bay street: Fancy Dancers; The Original Congos; Conquerors for Christ; Body of Christ; and Colours Entertainment.
The order of entry for B division entry on Shirley Street: Dynasty Junkanoo Group (Exhibition); Redland Soldiers; Z-Bandits (Exhibition); The New Vikings; Chipping Knights; Mystical Bombers; D Division; Foundation Junkanoo (Exhibition); and The Ultimate Force (Exhibition).
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