Strong winds blew Tuesday afternoon in Washington, D.C. they toppled the US national Christmas tree that had been erected in front of the White House.

The tree, a 40-foot Norway spruce from West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest, was placed two weeks ago in the presidential park.

AP photo

According to the National Park Service, as reported by the Associated Press, it made landfall around 1pm on Tuesday amid strong winds gusting to 46mph.

NPS spokeswoman Jasmine Shanti said in a statement that after “replacing a broken wire,” the tree was back up Tuesday afternoon.

The lighting of the tree is an annual White House holiday tradition with a countdown and musical performances.

This year’s tree is a new one, replacing an older tree that, according to the NPS, developed a fungal disease known as “needle mold” that caused its needles to turn brown and fall off.

The tree was scheduled to be lit on Thursday, but there was no indication from the White House whether Tuesday’s incident would delay that. The Christmas tree outside the US Capitol building was successfully lit on Tuesday.