FILE - Maurice Lightfoot, a member of 'The Tramps,' the oldest unit of the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, a historic New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe, participates in King's Day festivities in New ...

Mardi Gras floats “could become unstable” and heavy winds could “blow down trees and power lines,” the National Weather Service warned, adding gusts of up to 60 mph (97 kph) were expected ...

But Mardi Gras is an entire season, often called Carnival. It begins 12 days after Christmas on Jan. 6 and lasts until Fat Tuesday, or the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.