WBRZ - Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE - Officials said they were preparing for heavy rain and flooding ahead of Mardi Gras today.

The National Weather Service issued a flood watch through Tuesday afternoon as a cold front moves into the area.

Emergency officials in East Baton Rouge Parish said they'd make a decision later today about whether to not to put out sandbags. They said people should expect some localized flooding in low-lying areas prone to flood whenever there's a heavy rain event.

They said one good thing was that local rivers are below flood stage.