Up to five inches of snow and wind gusts as high as 40 m.p.h. forced the temporary closure of the Washington Monument to visitors for safety reasons yesterday. Maintenance staff removed the U.S. flags from the "circle of flags" surrounding the monument in order to help extend the life of the flags, as the high winds rip and tear them. By mid-afternoon, the winds calmed down, making it possible to reopen the monument to visitors.
