Washington National Cathedral closed due to high winds

The Washington National Cathedral was closed Friday due to high winds. The announcement, originally thought to have been a call for an evacuation, was made around 11 a.m.

In a statement, Kevin Eckstrom, the Chief Communications Officer for the Washington National Cathedral, said the decision to close the Cathedral for tours and worship for the rest of the day was made out of an abundance of caution for employees and visitors.

Eckstrom said the entire campus is off-limits to traffic and visitors. He said there was no scaffolding damage and no scaffolding has fallen off of the building.

The extreme wind gusts began overnight and are expected to continue throughout the day Friday and into Saturday morning.