Thousands of people gathered on the National Mall Tuesday night to watch the annual Fourth of July fireworks show despite the persistent threat of rain.
The fireworks show went off without a hitch, unlike last year when thick rain clouds and fog blocked the view of spectators.
It appeared for part of Tuesday afternoon that a similar situation could occur. A thunderstorm sat north of the beltway for much of the evening.
Luckily, the storm never made its way south. So, attendee Miller Kace got to see the fireworks without any problems.
"It's been really fun to see everybody in red, white and blue," he said.
However, the threat of storms may have impacted the fireworks show in another way. A large swath of a field near the Washington Monument had a significantly fewer amount of people in comparison to years past. Attendee John Merhi wondered if the storm to the north had anything to do with it.
"Normally, there's a lot more people here," he said. "Sure, seems empty."
The National Park Service does not record hard numbers on how many people attend the event. However, a spokesperson said it is typically in the "hundreds of thousands".
Fireworks, y'all. Right from the heart of the nation's capital. (@wusa9) pic.twitter.com/z5VHmziK81
— John Henry (@JohnHenryWUSA) July 5, 2017
