This year’s parade in Dallas honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be postponed by nearly a week due to the likelihood of inclement weather on Monday.
The City of Dallas kicked off its week-long MLK commemoration on January 9 under the theme “Dream the Impossible Dream: Arise and Pursue the Legacy.” Organizations, including the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the Office of Community Care, HELP, and the Office of Work Force Solutions, among others, have hosted multiple events throughout the week. The events were to culminate in a parade on MLK Day on January 15, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
However, City officials have postponed the final event due to frigid temperatures caused by an arctic blast this weekend.
The National Weather Service in Fort Worth (NWS) predicts wintry conditions across North Texas until midweek. Areas near the Red River have a “medium to high” chance of seeing snowfall, while areas to the south have a “low to medium” chance of seeing a wintry mix of freezing rain and snow, according to an NWS update.
City officials announced in a press release that the parade would be rescheduled for January 20 at 9:00 a.m.
“The parade will start at Fair Park Gate 6 at MLK Jr. Boulevard and Robert B. Cullum Boulevard. It will proceed down MLK Boulevard to Atlanta Street, turning south, then turning east on Pennsylvania Avenue, returning to Fair Park,” reads the announcement.
As reported by The Dallas Express, Gov. Greg Abbott and other state officials have been working to prepare Texas for the severe weather ahead.
“The State of Texas is working tirelessly to keep Texans safe and warm as an extraordinarily cold weather system begins to impact our state,” said Abbott. “Texans are urged to be prepared for a multi-long period of extreme cold weather and avoid going outside until this winter storm system has passed. I also encourage motorists to stay off the roads.”
City officials have also been preparing, having recently activated emergency temporary shelter protocols, as the frigid temperatures could pose a serious, potentially lethal, hazard to the city’s large unsheltered homeless population.
