Rodeo season is officially underway in Houston and thousands of people will descend on downtown for Saturday’s parade.

Here’s how the weather shapes up for parade day and opening night.

Houston Rodeo Parade

To snag your best view of the parade, you’ll want to get into downtown quite early, as street closures begin at 8:30 a.m. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect through the parade route:

8 to 10 a.m.: Early arrivals will find temperatures in the lower 60s around 8 a.m., then warming into the upper 60s by parade step-off at 10 a.m. A light jacket will feel necessary before 9 a.m., but you might not need it for long.

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10 a.m. to noon: As the parade moves through downtown, temperatures will steadily climb through the upper 60s and into the mid-70s. Skies should be mostly sunny and feature pleasant viewing weather.

Noon to 2 p.m.: The warmest stretch of the parade arrives early in the afternoon. Temperatures will rise into the lower 80s, peaking between 81 and 83 degrees around 2 p.m. Don’t forget to apply sunscreen and stay hydrated by drinking water.

Rodeo Houston opening day

We’ll see partly cloudy skies and especially warm weather by early March metrics for the rodeo’s opening day. Temperatures will reach into the lower 80s across most of Southeast Texas, but don’t be surprised if your backyard thermometer displays readings in the mid-80s.

Fortunately, if your plan is to consume a day’s worth of calories eating rodeo food, you should be able to walk them off without weather getting in your way. While it may not feel like classic gumbo weather, you’ll still find plenty of it on the rodeo grounds – including from Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles.

Rodeo storms next week

Enjoy the dry stretch while it lasts. The weather pattern turns more active by the middle of next week.

While it’s too early to pin down timing or exact locations, daily storm chances are expected to return. A few isolated showers are expected to inch toward Southeast Texas around Wednesday, but higher storm chances arise late in the week into next weekend. We still have plenty of time to monitor the forecast, but it’s something to be aware of if you have rodeo tickets for late next week.

This article originally published at Houston Rodeo Parade looks sunny and warm. Could storms spoil opening week?.