Los Angeles

And the Winner Is… Rain on Oscar Sunday, National Weather Service Says

Rain poured down on the red carpet at the Academy Awards Sunday -- enough that it actually tied a record, meteorologists said.

The 0.7 inches of rain that fell in downtown Los Angeles tied for the most rain on an Oscar Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

Measurable rain has fallen on 17 of the 87 days the Academy Awards have been held, the NWS said, though never as heavily as at the 1943, 1991 and 2015 ceremonies.

The show's organizers had erected several tents to cover the red carpet, where actors preened for cameras in thousand-dollar dresses and tuxedoes, but the rain managed to get its moment in the spotlight during the show.

Celebrities joked about a drip in the tent that turned into a waterfall next to television cameras on the red carpet. A blue tarp brought out to block the rain kept it from hitting coifed actresses such as Marion Cotillard and Zoe Saldana.

The downpour was big enough to impress even people from Ireland.

"We've had bad rain, but this is really heavy!" said Emma Cotter, 40, visiting from Cork, Ireland, with her sister Laura.

As it continued to pour, a team of tuxedoed men toting long sticks did their best to mop the water away.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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