Weather brings early
winter to parade

NORFOLK, Va. - As downtown Norfolk gets ready to welcome the holiday season, mother nature is letting everyone know winter weather is coming early this year.

Crews posting signs about street closures for Saturday's Grand Illumination Parade had more than traffic to contend with. Near freezing temperatures chilled the city and wind nearly ripped away the signs.

"We've had everything from almost 80 degrees down to about 20 degrees so we've run the gamut," said Downtown Norfolk Council President Cathy Coleman.

Already, the season's first snowfall hit Hampton Roads and North Carolina, blanketing some areas with a dusting of flakes, and giving a look at just how cold the temperature could drop for the expected crowd of 100,000 people.

"When they bundle up and sit close together on the parade route, I think it really makes them feel like it's the holidays," laughed Coleman.

The season's first cold snap may slow everything outdoors on any other weekend. But as the hours tick away until Norfolk lights up the night, there will be no stopping this parade.