Severe Storms Force Evacuation of the National Mall on America 250 as DC Parade Is Scrapped
Thousands were ordered to seek shelter as thunderstorms rolled into Washington, hours after extreme heat forced organizers to cancel the capital's Independence Day parade.
Washington's celebration of America's 250th birthday was thrown into chaos on Friday evening when severe thunderstorms swept toward the National Mall, prompting organizers to evacuate thousands of people who had gathered for fireworks and a presidential address.
Around 7 p.m. ET, officials ordered attendees to abandon the open lawn and "seek shelter in the various white tents on the left and right side" of the Mall. An emergency alert broadcast to the crowd was blunt: "A severe thunderstorm is occurring near the National Mall. Seek shelter immediately." The U.S. Secret Service was seen dismantling the metal detectors ringing the perimeter, tilting them onto their sides to keep them from being toppled or damaged by high winds — leaving the security perimeter temporarily open.
A White House official sought to reassure the public that the disruption was precautionary, telling Fox News: "Out of an abundance of caution, we decided to evacuate the mall temporarily. Everything is simply delayed. It's not postponed, it's not canceled." The evacuation came only hours after a separate weather threat had already upended the day's schedule.
Earlier Friday, organizers scrapped the capital's America's Independence Day Parade, which had been set to step off at 10:30 a.m., citing an extreme heat warning. Forecasters had predicted highs of 102 degrees Fahrenheit with a heat index between 110 and 115 degrees, and officials said they were prioritizing "the safety of our participants, spectators, and staff." The one-two punch of dangerous heat followed by violent storms encapsulated a brutal Independence Day weather pattern that stretched across much of the eastern United States.
Despite the disruptions, organizers insisted the night's marquee event would go forward once the storms passed. When the skies finally cleared, Washington was slated to host what promoters called the largest fireworks display in history: roughly 850,000 individual shells fired over a 40-minute spectacle above the capital. The evening's turbulence nonetheless served as a vivid reminder of how extreme weather has repeatedly collided with the summer's high-profile 250th-anniversary events, testing the patience of crowds and the contingency plans of a security and logistics operation built for a once-in-a-generation celebration.
Originally reported by CBS News.