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Hurricane Irene could cause a delay in Sunday's scheduled dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, according to Park Service officials.
President Obama is scheduled to speak at the event, but authorities say they are watching developments closely, as Irene moves toward the U.S. East Coast.
In a news release, Park Service spokesman Bill Line said authorities are monitoring weather predictions and have met to discuss plans for a possible delay or postponement. He said no decision is likely before late Wednesday or Thursday.
The National Hurricane Center's predicted path for Irene would take the center of the storm east of the D.C. area on Sunday, but Washington could be close enough to receive heavy rain and strong wind gusts.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend the event.
According to several Washington media outlets, officials at the U.S. Department of the Interior are discussing the possibility of postponing the event to Monday.
