Crowds packed onto the National Mall on Saturday for Washington's July Fourth celebration only to be ordered out within hours as record-breaking heat and approaching thunderstorms forced organizers to evacuate the grounds.
The preliminary high temperature in Washington reached 102 degrees, making it the hottest July Fourth on record for the city, according to ABC News meteorologists. The previous record of 100 degrees had stood since July 4, 1919.
An overhead announcement at the event gave the order to clear out. "Sorry, ladies and gentlemen, we've been asked to tell you, our officials have asked to tell you to, we need evacuation right away," the announcement said Saturday evening.
The "Salute to America 250 Celebration and Fireworks" had been set to begin at 7 p.m. Temperatures at that hour were forecast to feel close to 100 degrees even before the thunderstorm threat developed. Attendees were directed to seek shelter in nearby buildings. Some performances were canceled as a result of the delays.
Danielle Alvarez, a spokeswoman for Freedom 250, the event's organizers, issued a statement explaining the decision. "The safety of our guests, performers, and staff is our top priority," she said. She added that Freedom 250, along with the United States Secret Service, United States Park Police, National Park Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and all other public safety partners made the call to clear the grounds due to approaching severe storms.
The U.S. Secret Service also suspended checkpoint operations on the Mall. "No one is being admitted at this time. This action was taken solely in the interest of public safety, and we have no estimate for when screening may resume," Secret Service Chief of Communications Anthony Guglielmi said.
Organizers separately asked people to evacuate the Freedom 250 State Fair event also taking place on the National Mall. An announcement at that venue said, "Due to approaching severe weather, we are temporarily pausing the event for your safety."
Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump had played down the conditions in a social media post. "Despite the heat, which isn't as bad as predicted, the crowds in D.C. are INCREDIBLE," he wrote Saturday afternoon.
Trump had signaled earlier in the week that neither the forecast nor the temperature would stop him. "It's going to be approximately 107 degrees out, and I'm going to go, and I'm going to make a really long speech just to show that I can do anything," he told reporters Wednesday.
Exact details about Trump's planned speech had not been released as of Saturday evening. It was not immediately known when attendees would be allowed to return to the event grounds.
