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Washington – Severe weather brought a tornado warning to Washington’s suburbs Wednesday, prompting authorities to evacuate the thousands of people gathered at the National Mall for holiday festivities.

Authorities reopened the Mall roughly a couple of hours after the evacuation around 5 p.m. Eastern time.

After the National Weather Service issued the all-clear, officers alerted visitors who had taken shelter in nearby government buildings and museums that they could return to the grassy area. The National Symphony Orchestra was to perform on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, followed by a fireworks show.

Officers on foot, on bicycles and on horses had used megaphones to order the crowds to go into nearby buildings as the sky turned dark and winds picked up, authorities said.

“We planned for this exact scenario, and it went off exactly as we planned,” U.S. Park Police spokesman Sgt. Robert Lachance said.

The evacuated crowds had to pass back through any of the 19 security checkpoints to get into the area. Security was heightened for the festivities following failed attacks on Glasgow, Scotland, and London last week. Hundreds of emergency responders from about 20 law enforcement agencies were on duty, authorities said.

The scene was reminiscent of last year, when a severe storm hit the Mall and sent people fleeing. Crowds have reached 500,000 people or more in the past.