Washington DC cherry blossom peak bloom dates announced
It's one of Washington, D.C.'s most anticipated events. Find out when peak bloom for the world-famous cherry blossoms is expected to occur.
The annual explosion of cherry blossoms along the Tidal Basin frames the Washington Monument in the distance, Thursday, April 5, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The National Park Service announced peak bloom prediction dates for the Washington, D.C., tidal basin cherry blossoms on Thursday. They expect the peak of the blossoms to begin between March 28 and March 31 this year.
Peak bloom, when 70% of the blossoms have opened, typically occurs between the last week of March and the first week of April and can last up to 10 days, according to the NPS. However, extreme temperatures have pushed peak bloom as early as March 15 (1990) and as late as April 18 (1958).
Last year, the blossoms peaked on March 17. It was so early, the famous festival hadn't even started.
Although mid-March is expected to turn milder in D.C., with highs reaching 60 degrees Fahrenheit and even close to 70 for a few days, cooler air could become an issue, AccuWeather Lead Long-range Expert Paul Pastelok said.
"How cool will depend on the impacts of a polar vortex displacement that can occur between March 10 and 15. This probably will not bring winterlike impacts but more of a spring cooldown for late March into early April."
Visitors walk along the Tidal Basin beneath cherry blossoms, which enter their peak bloom this week in Washington, Monday, March 18, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Over time, rising temperatures have blossom dates trending earlier. In the last 30 years, temperatures have shifted the peak bloom date back from April 6 to April 1 in Washington, according to ClimateCentral.
By the end of the century, peak bloom could happen during the first week of March.
Every spring, people from all over the world travel to Washington, D.C., to witness the breathtaking spectacle of the cherry blossoms in full bloom. The annual event transforms the nation's capital into a vibrant canvas of delicate pink and white petals, attracting tourists, nature enthusiasts and photographers alike.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival runs from March 20 to April 14.
A gift to the United States from the major of Tokyo, Japan, in 1912, over 1,800 Yoshino Cherry (Prunus x yedoensis) trees have blossomed in D.C. since that year.
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