2nd Earliest Peak Bloom Ever Recorded For DC Cherry Blossoms: NPS

WASHINGTON, DC — A mild winter caused the cherry blossoms at Washington, D.C.'s Tidal Basin to reach peak bloom Sunday, March 17, the second-earliest date ever, the National Park Service said.

Late last month, the NPS said the famed Yoshino cherry blossoms would reach peak bloom early this year. The official bloom forecast estimated full blooms from March 23 to March 26, but Mother Nature sped things up.

The NPS considers peak bloom to be reached the date when 70 percent of the Tidal Basin yoshino cherry tree buds have reached the designated stage.

Washington Post writer Kevin Ambrose told WTOP changing weather trends have brought the buds out much sooner.

“If you look at the trends over the past 10, 20 years, the blooms have been blooming about a week earlier than in the past. So definitely there’s a trend, probably with climate change, I would imagine,” he said.

Last week, the National Park Service announced a three-year, $113 million project to repair seawalls around the Tidal Basin and along the Potomac River to combat wear and protect the area from rising sea levels. Water flows over parts of the seawall twice a day.

In late May 2024 about 140 Japanese flowering cherry trees will be removed between the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial; a total of 300 trees are scheduled for removal in the construction zones. When the project is completed, 455 trees (including 274 cherry trees) will be replanted in the area, the NPS said.

Historically, the most likely time to reach peak bloom is between the last week of March and the first week of April, the NPS Bloom Watch site said. Extraordinary warm or cool temperatures have resulted in peak bloom as early as March 15 (1990) and as late as April 18 (1958).

Last year, peak bloom was on March 23, according to the website Cherry Blossom Watch. That's more than a week early.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival will run from March 20 through April 14, with dozens of events around the city to celebrate the flower.

In late February, The Capital Weather Gang at the Washington Post said this winter's abnormally mild weather would likely cause the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin to reach peak bloom between March 19 and 23 — about 10 days earlier than normal and one of the earliest peak blooms on record.

"Such an early bloom fits into recent trends fueled by human-caused climate change," the Capital Weather Gang said in its forecast. "The average peak has advanced about six days over the last century, from April 4 to March 30. Each of the last four years has seen peak bloom before March 29."

The Yoshino trees typically bloom for several days, and the length of the blooming period depends on weather conditions. Cool, calm weather can extend the length of the bloom, but a rainy, windy day can bring it to an abrupt end by stripping the delicate petals from the trees.

The National Park Service and the National Cherry Blossom Festival offer a variety of events and activities during the Cherry Blossom Festival, including the Blossom Kite Festival, Japanese Street Festival, Captial Waterfront Fireworks during the Petalpalooza event, National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, and more.

Find dates and times for Cherry Blossom Festival events here.