SPOKANE -- With the luck of the Irish, the weather turned pretty nice for Spokane's St. Patrick's Day parade. The weather always seems to have a big say on how many revelers attend.
Erin Vanblaricom attended Spokane's St. Patrick's Day parade as a kid. Now she brings her own. But you can call her a fair weather fan of the event.
"Last year we did not come or the year before because it was raining. It was windy, it was cold, and we have little kids so we didn't want to bring them out and have them sit in the cold weather," said Vanblaricom.
For the past three decades, one thing in downtown Spokane has remained a constant; there has always been a St. Patrick's Day parade. But what weather nature throws is anyone's guess.
Last year, the six feet of snow that blanketed the city in December was still melting off the ground. Other years this past decade, the parade has seen T-shirt weather.
It is estimated 100,000 people usually attend. With the luck of the Irish, and give some credit to El Nino, most people stayed put through the very end.
The parade is hosted by the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. Their claim to fame is their St. Patrick's Day parade is the largest west of the Mississippi River.
