DC Cherry Blossom Trees May Hit Peak Earliest Date Ever

WASHINGTON, DC — The winter temperatures regularly topping out above 60 degrees, and sometimes near 80, many fans of the District's famed cherry blossoms are wondering how early the trees might bloom.

Peak bloom is defined as the day when 70 percent of the cherry blossoms are open.

The National Park Service will announce Wednesday, March 1, its expected timeline for the trees to fill the city with color.

But the NPS said on Feb. 23 the indicator tree had already started budding, which could mean cherry blossom season will come early.

Experts said this year could be a record-breaking early bloom, as temperatures soar way above average for February, CNN reported.

The earliest peak bloom on record was March 15, 1990. Michael Litterst, communications chief for National Mall and Memorial Parks with the National Park Service, told CNN he believes a mid-March peak bloom date is “certainly in play this year.”

“All indications are it’s going to be earlier than average,” Litterst told CNN. Last year’s peak bloom was March 25. “We’re about a month out from that, but given what we’ve seen so far, and given what the forecast is, I think we’re probably looking at something earlier than that.”

The 2023 National Cherry Blossom Festival is March 20 through April 16.

In addition, on March 20, the Frederick Douglas Memorial Bridge will light up pink for its second year in honor of the festival.

National Cherry Blossom Festival leaders will host a press conference with DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, the National Park Service, and other partners and supporters on Wednesday to reveal the predicted peak blooming period at the Tidal Basin.

Here are the six cherry blossom stages NPS tracks:

1. Green bud
2. Florets visible
3. Extension of florets
4. Peduncle elongation
5. Puffy blossom
6. Peak bloom

Litterst told WJLA this is the fourth-earliest stage one noted since 1992, when record-keeping began for the appearance of blossoms. The earliest the trees have entered stage one was on Feb. 13, 1998. The cherry blossoms did not hit peak bloom until March 27 that year.

“We are certainly seeing a correlation between rise of average temperatures and earlier blossoming of the cherry blossoms,” Litterst told WJLA.

The leading destination for virtual “bloom watchers,” Bloom Watch is the go-to source for official updates about peak bloom, with details about the bloom stages and a link to National Park Service’s #BloomCam.

View the Bloomcam to monitor the state of blossoms at the Tidal Basin this spring.