2019 Washington DC Cherry Blossoms

The National Park Service has judged that the trees have reached the "florets visible" stage. Many of the trees are beyond that, and from a distance you can see that the trees are getting a reddish-brown tinge as the bud development progresses.

What a difference a couple of very warm days makes! We've seen temperatures climb into the upper 70s, and that gave the cherry blossoms quite a jolt. The indicator tree now has its first flowers open.

The buds on the cherry trees are making slow but steady progress. They still have some work to do, and they're still quite far behind where they were this time last year, but a couple of very warm days today and tomorrow will help move things along a little.

We're coming out of a cold spell and turning the corner into a milder stretch. The buds are coming along nicely, with most trees now with green buds and some heading into the "florets visible" stage.

It doesn't feel much like spring--while sunny, it's cold and breezy--but more green buds are coming out.

The first green buds are starting to poke through.

There's not much to see on the trees yet. Temperatures for February continue to average a few degrees above normal. And the National Park Service will be announcing their initial peak bloom prediction at a press conference on March 6.

The cherry blossom buds are still wrapped tight for winter, but there are some other scattered signs of spring. Some of the earliest apricot blossoms and other flowering fruit trees are just starting to show some flowers.

Despite some attention-grabbing cold blasts in recent weeks, the temperatures so far this winter have continued to average warmer-than-normal overall. But there's still not much to see on the trees.

Winter finally arrived, with a snowstorm that dumped around 10 inches of snow. But so far, temperatures have averaged warmer than normal.