Peak bloom is likely to arrive “on the early side” of the National Park Service’s prediction of March 22-25, or maybe even before then.
Easing towards warmer weather, the cherry blossoms will feel the effects. With many of the Yoshino trees beginning to reveal their petals, we're expecting peak bloom to arrive at the early side of our prediction (March 22-25) or a few days before. #BloomWatch #cherryblossom🌸🌸🌸 pic.twitter.com/amvqwNCK5x
— National Mall NPS (@NationalMallNPS) March 14, 2023
Peak bloom occurs when 70 percent of the Yoshino cherry trees around the Tidal Basin have their petals open. The Park Service declared the blossoms had hit the peduncle elongation stage—the most fun pre-peak-bloom phase to say—over the weekend. Typically, the puffy white stage begins a couple of days later, followed by peak bloom a few days after that.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
