Stuarts Draft Christmas Parade is on despite wind advisory and rain for Augusta County

Monique Calello, Staunton News Leader

December 11, 2021 at 2:42 PM·3 min read

Scenes from the 2018 Stuarts Draft Christmas Parade.

UPDATE: Draft community begins to get concerned. Details below.

STUARTS DRAFT — Today, the National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for Augusta County in effect from 4 p.m. this afternoon to 1 a.m. Sunday.

The forecast also calls for a 90% chance of rain starting at 4 p.m. Just in time for the start of the Stuarts Draft Christmas Parade.

"A little rain is not going to dampen our spirits," said Carolyn Bragg, the parade organizer.

We called Bragg and asked if they were going to reschedule the parade given the wind advisory and rain forecast.

"Unless it's hazardous to people's safety, we're still having the parade," Bragg said.

Details on the parade: Stuarts Draft community gets excited for their 8th annual Christmas parade

According to the National Weather Service, south winds 15 to 30 mph with occasional gusts to around 45 mph late Saturday afternoon, shifting to west and northwest and increasing to 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 55 mph expected Saturday evening affecting northern and northwestern Virginia, including Augusta County.

Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects, the National Weather Service said. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result, NWS said, anticipating the strongest winds are most likely going to occur Saturday evening.

The National Weather Service advises people to use extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high profile vehicle and to secure outdoor objects.

While gusty winds and rain doesn't stand in the way of the Stuarts Draft community having their 8th annual Christmas Parade, you might want to keep checking the weather throughout the day as a precaution.

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Draft community share concerns

The close-knit Draft community have been waiting such a long time to have their yearly parade, but they are starting to get concerned and took to Facebook to see if the parade is going to be rescheduled.

Lisa Belcher: We were super excited to participate in today's parade, and would have rolled down Main in just rain. However, with the high wind advisory as well, we just don't feel it will be safe — and definitely not fun for our community today. My kids were planning to ride on the Stuarts Draft Quarterback Club float and my business Personality Homes–Virginia Valley had an entry as well. It would be amazing if y'all could coordinate the RR crossing and road closures with Augusta County for another day.

April Leach Marcum: have you heard of the parades gonna be rescheduled or not? The wind is starting to get up here in the draft. I would prefer it to be rescheduled as well. I’ve been looking forward to this all year.

Angela Perry: A little rain wouldn’t hurt but it’s supposed to be raining and with these winds I think they really should consider rescheduling.

Nate Wilson: Draft is such a strong community and I can't believe we can't get it rescheduled due to severe weather. Who wants to go and have their float destroyed? Such a bummer.

Danae Huffer: I 100% agree with this! Would love for the parade to be rescheduled!!

Missing teen: Stuarts Draft teen missing per Augusta County Sheriff's Office

Staunton tornado archive: Tornadoes in Virginia since 1950

You can reach reporter Monique Calello at mcalello@newsleader.com.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: NWS wind advisory, rain: Augusta County, Stuarts Draft parade is on

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Draft community share concerns

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