Chicago's Pride Parade Cancelled Due To Severe Weather

CHICAGO (CBS)-- Chicago's annual Pride Parade has been cancelled amid severe weather.

Chicago officials are holding Pride Parade floats amid the severe weather.

Nearly 1 million people are expected to line the streets for the celebration. The parade started at noon at Montrose and Broadway.

It's always festive, sometimes outrageous, but this year's Pride Parade is also tinged with reflection of the 1969 police raids at New York's Stonewall Inn and how many believe it sparked the nationwide fight for gay rights.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who will be serving as the parade's grand marshal, addressed the media ahead of the parade.

"This is a great day, a great celebration and I am so humbled to be a part of it," Lightfoot said.

As Chicagoans gather for the Pride Parade in Boystown, severe storms are on the way. 

According to CBS 2 meteorologist Ed Curran, the main threats for Sunday afternoon are damaging thunderstorms winds, large hail, frequent lightning and heavy rain. Curran said the storms could start between 1 to 3 p.m.

The parade has grown, not only in spectators, but in length since the first, winding its way through the Boystown section of Lakeview for more than two miles this year. As always, city officials say security is a top concern. One safety measure is markers to help spectators pinpoint their location when calling 911.