The National Weather Service is investigating whether a severe storm that struck the Washington, D.C., area on Thursday night was a tornado. The storm downed tree branches and scattered debris, and also may have played a role in damaging a construction site.

Wind gusts reached up to 53 miles per hour in the area. More than 19,000 customers in Virginia and Maryland remained without power as of noon Friday, according to poweroutage.us.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning just before 9:15 p.m. Thursday for an area including Falls Church and Arlington, Virginia, downtown Washington and into Prince George’s County, Maryland.

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The Washington Post reported that some roads remained closed on Friday, including Canal Road at Foxhall Road in Northwest Washington due to a downed tree. High water was reported at Nanie Helen Burroughs and Minnesota avenues in Northeast Washington.

The storm knocked down trees along the National Mall, and the wind had knocked down fencing in the area as well.

Five workers hospitalized due to injuries after a building that was under construction collapsed during the storm. One of the workers was trapped for at least an hour in the collapse. At least three other buildings nearby were damaged, but officials are still investigating whether the collapse was caused by the severe weather.

(MORE: D.C. Building Under Construction Collapses as Storms Hit)

Click through the photos above to see images of the aftermath of Thursday's storm.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.