National Christmas Tree

Coming on the tail of unseasonably warm weather, a cold front howled its way into the northeastern United States with winds gusting up to as high as 53mph in Washington, D.C. on Saturday.

Several Christmas trees were knocked over by the intense blowing, the most noteworthy being the National Christmas tree which is located on the Ellipse right outside the White House . The tree has been there since 1978 when it was relocated from York, Pennsylvania.

The official website of the “First Tree” explains that the tree was 15 years old and 30-feet tall when it was replanted in front of the White House in 1978. Until Saturday the tree stood to a height of almost 42 feet.

According to a spokesperson for the National Parks Service a new tree to replace the downed Colorado blue spruce has already been chosen, since it was predicted that the tree could be toppled at any moment. The new tree is expected to arrive within the next few weeks.